Something more embarassing than...

If there is something more embarassing than losing to the Jerome Gambit (even if you do not merit entry to the "George J. Dougherty Club") it has to be giving "Jerome Gambit odds" in a game, having your opponent put his Queen en prise, and you missing the capture... The saving grace in the following game is that I still had a strong game after my opponent's slip and my blunder, and I was still able to bring the point home.

perrypawnpusher  - cinamon
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 h6

The Semi-Italian Opening.

4.0-0 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Game. An earlier game of ours had continued 5...a6 6.a3 Bc5 7.Bxf7+, perrypawnpusher - cinamon, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 28)

6.Bxf7+

The Semi-Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

6...Kxf7 7.Nxe5+ Nxe5 8.d4 Qe7

Earlier this year perrypawnpusher - cinamon, blitz, FICS, 2011, continued instead with the equally strong 8...Bxd4, etc (1-0, 25).

9.dxc5 Qxc5 10.Be3 Qc4 11.f4 Qxe4

This move totally shocked me. I remember thinking: I had NO IDEA that he could play that move! And now my Bishop is hanging!! How did I ever overlook that move??

12.Re1

Of course, after I quickly protected my Bishop, I realized why I had considered 11...Qxe4 impossible: because the pawn was protected by my Knight!

12...Qf5 13.fxe5 Qxe5

I took  a deep, calming breath, and realized that while I was a pawn down, I had plenty of compensation in terms of better development and my opponent's uneasy King.

All I had to do was keep that panic-filled voice in the back of my head (What if you lose this game?? What a humiliation!!) quiet.

14.Bd4 Qd6

Protecting his Knight, possibly thinking to exchange Queens if I move my Bishop, maybe even thinking of sneaking in ...Ng4. He blocks the d-pawn and delays his development, however.

15.Ne4 Nxe4

"Chopping wood" is one defensive strategy, but here it helps me activate my Rook and exposes a future weak point at g7.

16.Rxe4 Rf8

Given enough time, Black hopes to get his King to safety.

However, he does not have enough time.

17.Qf3+

Even stronger was 17.Qg4, threatening mate at g7. Mate follows the defensive try 17...Rg8: 18.Qh5+ g6 19.Qf3+ Qf6 20.Qxf6#

The tricky part of 17.Qg4 is to see that after 17...g5, White still has 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Rf1 and there are too many pieces bearing down on the Black King to escape mate, even if Black exchanges Rooks.

17...Kg8 18.Qb3+ Kh8 19.Rd1

Switching to harassing the Queen (20.Rg4 focused on the King). My opponent must have been running short of time, and I gave him more to think about.

19...Qg6 20.Re3 b6 21.Rg3 Black resigned