Un-Improvement

I seem to be pushing the boundaries of my own personal "Worst. Jerome. Gambit. Game. Ever." I thought that I had hit the wall a while back (see "SNAFU"), but the following game shows that there is lots of room for un-improvement.


perrypawnpusher - MrScrumps
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

7.Qxe5 d6 8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0

This is the part in the Blackburne Defense where Black slams the door on the White Queen with 9...Nf6!

9...Bg4

Actually, MrScrumps had a different idea.

10.Qc3

Extracting the Queen.

An alternative, equally as good, was 10.d4 as in MrJoker-submariner/Internet Chess Club 2011 (1-0, 24).

10...Be2

This move, attacking the rook that protects the f-pawn from the double attack by the enemy Rook and Queen, unnerved me.

It should not have: 11.d4 was an adequate response, as was the move that I played; both preserve White's advantage.

11.g3 Qh3

Now 12.Re1 would force one Bishop to retreat, 12...Ba6, when 13.d4 would force the other one to, as well.

But I didn't see the move.

The square f1 is doubly-attacked, and I could not see that moving the Rook would leave the square protected.

Instead: White resigned.

Only then did I remember the fresh-brewed pot of coffee in the room next door...

Now, that's sad.

(As it turns out, this was my second game – and my second loss – against MrScrumps. The earlier game was almost as weird, but even shorter. See "From Tragedy to Farce".)