Artificial Stupidity

How do you make a computer chess program play not-so-strongly? You can limit the amount of time that it analyzes any position, or you can limit the depth to which it will analyze. Or, you can cause it to blunder every once-in-a-while... 

perrypawnpusher - MiloBot
standard game, FICS, 2010

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

My "opponent", a chess-playing program at FICS, was not rated highly, and I wanted to see how it would do against the Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

Fascinating! MiloBot is playing the Blackburne Defense! To uphold my honor and that of the Jerome Gambit, I must take the Rook!

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6

Slam! The White Queen is locked in, just like Blackburne played! MiloBot must still be in its opening "book".

10.Qd8

The "escape clause" for White, who now has the advantage, but Black should be able to draw.

10...a5

Yipes! Suddenly Black's "brain" goes haywire.

Necessary was 10...Bb6, and after 11.e5 dxe5 White's Queen escapes with 12.Qd3. I knew the line, but I guess that MiloBot was now out of its book. 

11.Qxc7+ Ke8 12.d4 Bb4 13.c3 Ra6

If this was the "idea" behind Black's last move, then the game is largely over already...

14.cxb4

Taking the other Bishop was even better. 

14...Be6 15.Qxb7 Qg4 16.Qxa6 Bc8 17.Qxd6 Be6

18.f3 Bg8 19.Qxf6 Qxg2+

I have no idea what the computer was doing.

20.Kxg2 axb4 21.Bg5 Kd7 22.Rc1 Bc4 23.Rxc4 Ke8 24.Qe7 checkmate

Well, that was a bit of a mis-match...