Long-time Readers - or at least those who have been visiting this blog for 1 1/2 years or more - will be familiar with Cliff Hardy, the Australian detective who occasionally dabbles in the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+).
Readers of "hard boiled" detective stories know that, almost inevitably, the hero gets slugged by the bad guy, before solving the case. Shows character, I guess.
So, with that caveat, let's look at the first of two games that Cliff has sent. The notes are his. Mine are in blue.
Hardy, Cliff - Tschelowjek
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2025
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+ 9.g3 Nf3+
From "Jerome Gambit Tournament: Chapter II"
An interesting line that I refer to as "Nib's Defense," which made its first appearance in the American Chess Magazine of June 1899 in a comical article lampooning a new pastime, chess by phone.
In a constructed game the author, "R.F.," overcame continued line noises and interruptions to use the Jerome Gambit to defeat "Nibs" in a dozen moves -- erroneously claiming checkmate, by the way.
10.Kd1 Ne7 11.Qf7
According to The Database, this move is a novelty.
Stockfish 16.1 suggests 11.Qxc5+ Kxc5 12.gxh4 d5
11...Ng5 12.fxg5
I think 12.Qc4 might be the best try here.
12...Qg4+ 13.Ke1
13...b6
13...Qxe4+ 14.Kd1 Qxh1+ would have put me on life support.
14.d3 Bb7 15.Bf4+ Kc6 16.Nc3 Rhf8 17.Qc4
I have to make a confession here and admit that, in the attempt to gain more tournament points, I had chosen the 'berserk' option of sacrificing half my time in the pursuit of attaining more points if I were to win. So while my opponent had 3 minutes total for the game, I had only one and a half. He still had 2 minutes and 2 seconds left on his clock at this stage of the game and I had just 18 seconds left. I'm hoping that with more time I would have spotted the mate in 2 here [17.Qd5+ Nxd5 18.exd5#] but maybe I still wouldn't have even looked at it! I'm too embarrassed and heartbroken to give those 2 mating moves ?? but it would have been a nice way to have finished the game though!
17...Rxf4
I'd hoped to get away with a checkmate in one with 18.Qb5 but it was not to be ??
18.Qb5+
After 18.gxf4 I would have still had some chance to win, with threats like d4, to win the pinned bishop on c5.
18...Kd6
With the move d3-d4 not a workable threat anymore (due to ...Bxd4), I don't have any compensation for my exposed king on e1 - which is now much more vulnerable to attack than his on d6!
19.gxf4 Qxf4 20.Ne2 Qf2+ 21.Kd1 Qf3 22.Re1 Bf2 23.Qc4 Bxe1
24.e5+ Kxe5 25.Kxe1 c5 26.Kd2 Nd5 27.Qc3+
I only had 1 second left on the clock here but I was dead lost down a piece anyway.
27...Nxc3 28.Nxc3 Qf4+ 29.Ke2 d5 30.Ke1 d4
Black won on time
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