Kicking the 'Bot

A while back (see "Artificial Stupidity") I tried my Jerome Gambit chops against FICS'  "MiloBot". Recently I wondered: has anyone else matched Jerome-ish wits with the silicon creation? Turns out, some have.

piratebopper - MiloBot
standard game, FICS, 2010

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

One player had mixed results trying a Delayed Jerome Gambit, transposing to one of the Gambit's "modern" variations on move 5: 4.0-0 Nf6 5.Bxf7+ Kf8 (5...Kxf7 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.d3 Bb6 8.Nc3 Nd4 9.Nd5 a6 10.Qh5+ Nxh5 11.Be3 Nb5 12.c4 Nd4 13.Rac1 Ne2+ White resigned, yogitim - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010) 6.Bc4 Ke7 7.d3 Kf8 8.Bg5 Be7 9.Nbd2 Rb8 10.Nb3 b6 11.d4 h6 12.Be3 Ba3 13.bxa3 Ng4 14.Nxe5 Nf6 15.Qf3 Ne7 16.Ng4 Ra8 17.e5 c6 18.exf6 Ng8 19.fxg7+ Ke7 20.gxh8Q d5 21.Qh7+ Kd6 22.Qf4+ Ke6 23.Qe5 checkmate, yogitim - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+

There are many reasons to get MiloBot out of its "book" knowledge of openings, as one player learned quickly: 5.0-0 Nb8 6.c3 c6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Qa5 9.dxc5 Qb5 10.Ne5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Ke8 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Qf3 Qxf1+ 14.Kxf1 Nf6 15.Qxf6 Rg8 16.Qf7 checkmate, Postobon - MiloBot, FICS, 2011.

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

The Blackburne Defense, part of MiloBot's "book".

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qd8

Yes!

The Blackburne Defense can be deadly against unprepared attackers; but it also can be overcome if White knows what he/she/it is doing.

Knightpusher, whose name we've seen here before in relation to the Jerome Gambit, this year tried, instead, 10.d3 Ke6 (10...Bh3! was obviously not in MiloBot's book) 11.g3 Qh5 12.Qg7 c6 13.Qh6 Bb6 14.Qxh5 Nxh5 15.Nc3 Nf6 16.Be3 Ne8 17.Bxb6 axb6 18.a3 Kf7 19.f4 Kg8 20.f5 Ng7 21.f6 Be6 22.fxg7 Kxg7 23.Rf2 g5 24.Raf1 Ra5 25.Rf6 Re5 26.d4 b5 27.dxe5 Bh3 28.Rf7+ Kh8 29.Rf8+ Kg7 30.R1f7+ Kh6 31.Rf6+ Kh5 32.Rxd6 b6 33.Rxc6 Bg4 34.Rxb6 Bc8 35.Rff6 Kg4 36.Kf2 Bd7 37.h3+ Kxh3 38.Rh6+ Kg4 39.Rxh7 Bc6 40.e6 Ba8 41.e7 Bxe4 42.Rg7 Bg6 43.Rgxg6 b4 44.Rxb4+ Kh5 45.Rg8 Kh6 46.e8Q Kh7 47.Qg6 checkmate, Knightpusher - MiloBot, FICS 2011.

10...a6

MiloBot's "book" seems to be 9 moves deep. Left on its own, it is much weaker, and now finds this lemon, just as it found 10...a5 against me in perrypawnpusher - MiloBot, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 24).

11.Qxc7+ Nd7 12.d4 Qxe4 13.dxc5

White's extra Rook wins.

Now, MiloBot falls apart.

13...Qxg2+ 14.Kxg2 dxc5 15.f4 Kg8 16.f5 Nf8 17.fxg6 Bh3+ 18.Kxh3 b6 19.g7 Nd7 20.Qxd7 h6 21.Rf8+ Rxf8 22.gxf8Q+ Kxf8 23.Bxh6+ Kg8 24.Qg7 checkmate