Jerome Gambit: Before I Knew It

The other day, I had a few minutes, I was holding my phone, it had the Chess.com app... Before I knew it, I had challenged another computer chess bot to a Jerome Gambit game.

Tina is not a strong program, but it produced some interesting moves.

perrypawnpusher - Tina Tempo

computer game, Chess.com iPhone, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 Qe7 9.Qe3 Qd6 

This is a new move, according to The Database. It runs into the classic criticism that the Queen blocks the d-pawn, which hems in the Bishop, which stifles the Rook.

I think that it is funny that Stockfish 16.1 still considers Black about a pawn better. 

10.d4 Kd8 

This reminded me of my old Chess Challenger 7 computer. It had a tendancy to keep its King in the middle of the board and surround it by pieces.

11.O-O N8e7 12.Nc3 

I was amused to see Stockfish 16.1's suggestion after the game, which was pretty Jerome-ish, because of its use of the pawns: 12.f4 b6 13.c4 c5 14.d5 Qf6 15.e5 Qh4 16.Nc3 when White would be better.

12...a6 

To protect the Queen by keeping the enemy Knight off of b5?

13.e5 

Premature. I could have waited until playing 13.f4.

 13...e6 14.f4 Re8 

Completing the "defense" of its King.

The opposite idea, 14...d5, was the way to go; but this would have compromised Black's defense.

15.d5 Qg8 

Odd. The d-pawn was there for the taking. This leads to an interesting end.

16.f5 Nxd5 17.Nxd5 Qxd5 18.fxg6 

18...hxg6 19.Qg5+ Re7 20.Rf8 checkmate

I expected the bot to make a comment like the Chidobe Awuzie bot after our game, "I let you win, you were boring me", but it did not.