"Fool me once..."

I love Darby Conley's "Get Fuzzy." I read it daily, and have at least a half-dozen collections of the strips. Check it out.

I'm a lot more like Satchel Pooch than Bucky Katt...

How does this relate to the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+)?

Well, a while back I had a problem playing against a particular "anonymous" opponent at FICS – a 7-move loss (see "A Sneaky Way to Defeat the Jerome Gambit") after he disconnected. 

This was somewhat balanced by my later 8-move win (see "What goes around comes around").

It's hard for me to remember an anonymous name, though, so yesterday I found myself playing "anonymous" again. What lesson had my opponent learned from our previous games?

perrypawnpusher - "anonymous"

blitz FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Nh6

This is not a strong defense. There are two prior examples of this move in the updated New Year's Database, both wins for White.

9.Qxe5+ Kc6

Here "anonymous" disconnected. Why not? It had been his more successful response to the Jerome Gambit. (Obviously he does not read this blog, or he would have learned that FICS is now less tolerant of disconnecters – see "Technical Difficulties" Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.)

I was not able to get "anonymous" to resume the game, or even respond to me. Fool me once...

The game was ajudicated a win for White. It is clear that after 10.Qd5+ Kb6 11.Nc3 White will win at least a piece (threat: 12.Na4+), remaining two pawns up with Black's King still in danger.