Jerome Gambit: Missed

When playing a 1-minute game, especially a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), it is easy to miss the intention of your opponent on a particular move, leading to sudden catastrophe.

SimonDousset - botzki26

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 202

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

7.Qd5+ Ke8 8.Qxc5 d6 9.Qc3 

Fifteen years ago, in a post to this blog "Long ago, and far away...", I quoted the Saturday, May 28, 1881 Adelaide Observer that, according to George Henry Mackenzie

The authorities give 9.Qc3 but White prefers the text move [9.Qe3]

It is not clear which "authorities" Mackenzie was referring to, but two clues are that the March 1875 issue of the Dubuque Chess Journal contained the game Jerome - Brownson, Iowa, 1875 (1-0, 28) and the April 12, 1879 issue of the New York Clipper carried the game Lanning, J. - Zim, J.K., Utah, 1879 (1-0, 14).

9...Kf8 

SimonDousset has also faced:

9...Bd7 10.Qxg7 Qf6 (10...Qg5!?) 11.Qxf6 Nxf6 12.d3 Kf7 13.O-O Rae8 14.f4 Re7 15.f5 Ne5 16.Bg5 h6 17.Bh4 Ree8 18.Nc3 Nfg4 19.h3 Ne3 20.Rf3 Nxc2 21.Rc1 Nd4 22.Rf4 Nxd3 23.Rd1 Nxf4 24.Rxd4 a6 25.Nd5 Ne2+ 26.Kh2 Nxd4 27.Nf4 Rxe4 28.Ng6 Kg8 29.Nxh8 Kxh8 30.Bf6+ Kg8 31.Kg3 Bxf5 32.h4 Rg4+ 33.Kf2 Ne6 34.g3 Rc4 35.Bc3 Nd4 36.Ke3 c5 37.Kf4 b5 38.g4 Bh7 39.Kg3 Kf7 40.g5 a5 White resigned, SimonDousset - Nikolay98, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023; 

9...Qf6 10.Qe3 (10. d4!?) 10...Qf4 11.Qb3 c6 12.d4 Qxe4+ 13.Be3 Nf6 14.O-O Be6 15.Qxb7 Rd8 16.Nc3 Qf5 17.Qxc6+ Bd7 18.Qxd6 Ne4 19.Nxe4 Qxe4 20.Rae1 Kf7 21.Bg5 Qc6 22.Qg3 Rde8 23.Qf3+ Qxf3 24.gxf3 h6 25.Bd2 Bc6 26.Rxe8 Rxe8 27.Re1 Rxe1+ 28.Bxe1 Bxf3 29.c4 Nf4 30.Bc3 Ne2+ 31.Kf1 Nxc3 32.bxc3 Ke6 33.Ke1 Kf5 34.Kd2 Kf4 35.d5 Ke5 36.Kd3 g5 37.Ke3 Black resigned, SimonDousset - magge79, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023; 

9...Nf6 10.O-O b6 11.d4 Ba6 12.Re1 Kd7 13.e5 dxe5 14.dxe5 Nd5 15.e6+ Kc8 16.Qc6 Bb7 17.Qb5 a6 18.Qd3 Nge7 19.Bg5 h6 20.Bxe7 Nxe7 21.Qg3 g5 22.Nc3 Rf8 23.Rad1 Qe8 24.Qe5 Ng6 25.Qg7 Qe7 26.Qxg6 Bd5 27.Qxh6 Bxe6 28.Qxg5 Qxg5 29.Rxe6 Qxg2+ White resigned, SimonDousset - smirkyerk, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023; and 

9...Be6 10.Qxg7 (10.d3!?) 10...Qf6 11.Qxf6 Nxf6 12.O-O Kd7 13.f4 Nxe4 14.f5 Bc4 15.d3 Bd5 16.dxe4 Bxe4 17.fxg6 Bxg6 18.Nc3 Rhe8 19.Bg5 Rg8 20.Bh4 Bxc2 21.Rac1 Bd3 22.Rf3 Be4 23.Nxe4 Rg4 24.Nf6+ Black resigned, SimonDousset - Sladi_sd, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023 

10.O-O Nf6 11.d3 Bg4 

I am not sure what Black is up to, here; it could be a bullet speed finger slip. (There are no other examples in either The Database or at lichess.org.)

12.h3 Be6 13.f4 Ne7 14.f5 Bd7 15.Bg5 Rc8 

Missing one of the ideas behind White's last move.

The piece on e7 needed to leave, i.e. 15...Nc6. 

16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Qxf6+ Kg8 18.Rf3 h6 19.Rg3+ Kh7 20.Qf7 checkmate