Sitting at the computer the other day, I suddenly decided to challenge one of the programs to game of chess. I played the Jerome Gambit, of course. I've done this before - see "Jerome Gambit: Artificial Piffle" and "Contempt?!"
Quickly we raced toward one of the more deadly refutations, a trip down memory lane for me that was lined with past escapes - and non-escapes. Suddenly, my opponent came up with a novelty that undid all of its hard work. The rest of the game was a combination of me timidly moving forward, while the computer seemed to lose much sense of things. Come, see.
perrypawnpusher - Chess Titans
casual game, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5. Nxe5+ Nxe5 6. Qh5+ Ke6
7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qh4+
The first example that I have found of this move appeared in the American Chess Magazine of June 1899, in a satirical piece titled "A CHESS SCRAP" by "R.F.", which presented a supposed new-fangled thing - a chess game played over the telephone. The move is not a joke, however.
Interestingly enough, when I reported on last year's game against Chess Titans, I noted
I was pretty sure that my opponent was not seriously booked up on the Jerome Gambit, and that the killer move 8...Qh4+!? was not going to show up now.Back then, it played the insufficient 8...g6. This time, it appeared to be better prepared.
9.g3 Nf3+
Black can quietly remove his Queen to f6, but the text is more aggressive.
10.Kf1
I have also played 10.Kd1: perrypawnpusher - electrahan, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 35); perrypawnpusher - Banassi, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 28); perrypawnpusher - fortytwooz, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); perrypawnpusher - javistas, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11); and perrypawnpusher - thinan, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 11).
The text is best, but, it still leaves Black better.
10...Nxh2+
As I have suggested, "Black can get away with this, but it is not best."
I actually met 10...Qh3+ (likely a mouse slip) twice, perrypawnpusher - rjbriggs, blitz, FICS, 2011(1-0, 10) and perrypawnpusher - inansoy, blitz, FICS, 2014 (1-0, 51).
I have had trouble in the past with 10...Qh6 - perrypawnpusher - Temmo, Jerome Gambit thematic, ChessWorld.net, 2008 (0-1, 43) and 10...Qf6 - perrypawnpusher - james042665, blitz, FICS, 2008, (0-1, 18); and perrypawnpusher - HarlemKnight, blitz, FICS, 2014}(0-1, 24).
I was familiar with the text move, having found it in the game Born Loser - NN, 2005 (1-0, 37) in White's unique book, Unorthodox Chess (2005).
11.Kg2
11...Qd8
An odd move. I have faced a number of alternatives:
11...Qg4 (probably best) in perrypawnpusher - jgknight, blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 68);
11...Nf6 12.gxh4 in perrypawnpusher - mikelars, blitz, FICS 2011 (1-0, 12);
11...Qe7 12.Qd5 checkmate, perrypawnpusher - intssed, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12);
11...Qh6 in perrypawnpusher - JTIV, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32);
11...Qf6 in perrypawnpusher - IlToscano, Chess.com, 2016 (1-0, 18); and
11...Ne7 in perrypawnpusher - constipatedguru, blitz, FICS, 2017 (1-0, 20)
12.Qd5+
This move is good and easy to find. After the game, however, Stockfish 10 recommended that I ignore both the Bishop on c5 and the Knight on h2, at least at first, and play 12.Nc3!? The point is that neither Black piece can move to safety effectively - and a couple of possible Bishop moves would lead to checkmate in 2 or 3 moves.
The computer recommends 12...Nf6, which falls right away to the fork 13.e5+. The alternative, 12...Qe8, simply allows 13.Qd5+, and the Bishop will fall next move, and the Knight soon thereafter. White is better, in any event, but the computer is always looking for a "better better."
12...Ke7 13.Qxc5+ d6
[to be continued]
