Jerome Gambit: Faster Than A Speeding Neuron

 

Chess played at bullet speed can yield a very quick win - or a very quick loss, with the pieces moving faster (or so it would appear) than a speeding neuron...

The following game illustrates.

angelcamina - Amirali_Shafinia

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 8.Qf4+ Qf6 9.Qxc7 

This is a risky pawn-grab. Was it played because angelcamina had gotten away with it before, or was he just feeling lucky?

The Database shows a score for this position of 3 1/2 - 6 1/2,  35%.

Stockfish 16.1 (28 ply) suggeststs, instead, 9.d3, with Black up the equivalent of 2 1/2 pawns. According to The Database, that move has scored 54 % for White in 14 games.

9...Qxf2+ 10.Kd1 d6 

Previously: 10...Qxg2 11.Qxc5+ Ne7 (11...d6 was the way to go, as after 12.Qxd6+ Black defends with 12...Kf7) 12.Re1 (inaccurate, the best chance of holding on was 12.Rg1) 12...Qf3+ (going for the draw, most likely because of the clock, because 12...d6 would cause unanswerable problems for White) 13.Re2 Qf1+ 14.Re1 Qf3+ 15.Re2 Qf1+ 16.Re1 Qf3+ 1/2-1/2 angelcamina - nillyx, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2018.

Black's two threats of ...Qxg2 and ...Bg4+ signal White's end.

11.Qd8+ Kf7 12.Nc3 Bg4+ 13. Ne2 Qxe2 checkmate