The invincible Bulgarian gambit

Once again, the Explorer and the Gabridoodle did battle at an event hosted by our friends at the Salem Boardgames Meetup.  This time the event was at the storied Highlands Clubhouse.  The main level was chock full of proprietary games.  We chess players and our decidedly non-proprietary Mexican equipment were exiled to the hot tub room and had a strip search been necessary, we might well have wound up hopping in.  However, our clothes stayed on and the Explorer exacted his revenge, winning both games.

Game 1: Explorer - Gabridoodle, 1-0

In this game, the Explorer uncorked the infamous Bulgarian gambit, which consists of some very, very strange yet profound king moves in the early going.  In addition to being distracted by the presence of the hot tub, the Gabridoodle was clearly rattled by this gambit.  What followed for him was kingside torment and eventual checkmate.

Game 2: Explorer - Gabridoodle, 1-0

Our next game featured a subtle variation on the Bulgarian gambit.  While not as effective as the orthodox version, it was effective enough.  In the end, a hot-tub-distracted Gabridoodle fell victim to an elementary trap thanks to his fixation on his criminal (passed pawn).  With the Explorer up a rook and about to execute the criminal, the Gabridoodle resigned.