As Easy As 1... 2... Oops!

As we have seen many times on this blog, White can play a refuted opening and win, while Black can play a strong refutation and lose. Playing at blitz speed, this is even more likely.

Here we have an example of HauntedKnight haunting his opponent.

HauntedKnight - avargasg
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 Qh4 

In the first years of the Jerome Gambit, 6.d4 was the favorite of Alonzo Wheeler Jerome. Here Black plays his strongest counter - ironically it is Black, not White, coming out with his Queen - an idea which is complicated and not well known.

7.dxc5

Houdini 2 prefers 7.0-0. So did Sorensen, in the first game in The Database with this line (Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1888, 1-0, 27).

7...Qxe4+ 8.Be3 Qb4+  9.Nc3 

With the win in the bag, Black suddenly grabs the wrong marble. Another example of the misguided notion that "bad openings can be refuted without much thought." 

9...Qxc5  10.Bxc5 

Black resigned