Jerome Gambit: Cliff Hardy Redux

 

Cliff Hardy is the hard-boiled private eye featured in over 40 novels by Peter Corris.

"Cliff Hardy" is also the name I have given to a mysterious Australian chess player who enjoys playing the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ ) in adventurous style.

Here is the first of several Cliff Hardy games that I have recently received. It was a 1-minute game, and Mr. Hardy played blindfold.

The notes are by Cliff. I have added diagrams.

Cliff Hardy (1957) - NN (1919)

1 0 bullet, blindfold, Lichess, 2022

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

I was playing blindfolded (and thus on my blindfold account) in this one-minute-each bullet game. My opponent had the advantage of sight of the board but I may have had the advantage of familiarity with this gambit. 

7.Qxe5 Bd6??

That being said, the Lichess database came up with one other game that my opponent has had this position in and in that game he played the correct rook sacrifice 7...Qe7! here.

8.Qxh8

Unfortunately, the sacrifice just doesn't work in this position for Black as he can't try to trap the queen in with 8...Nf6?? (due to 9. Qxd8, of course),

8....Qg5 9.Qxh7+ Ke6? 10. Qxg8+ and Black resigned.