What will it take?

Playing over Bill Wall's latest Jerome Gambit, I broke out in song...*

I mean, it's tough to beat Mr. Wall. 

Okay, sometimes he gives an opponent a chance by giving "Jerome Gambit odds". 

And what if, on top of that, he had a terrible mouse slip?

And then - he wins the game, anyhow?

I mean, what does it take?

Wall,B - Guest2208830
PlayChess.com, 2013

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf5+? 

The mouse slip, although it is not a "TN", as The Database contains Bogsnes - exactemente, blitz, FICS, 2011 (0-1, 7) . Of course, the correct move is 7.Qxe5

7...Qf6 8.Nc3 Qxf5 9.exf5 Nf6 10.d3 d5 11.Bg5 c6 12.O-O-O Bxf5

Black captures the wrong pawn (he should have played 12...Bxf2) but his position still looks great. It simply isn't the right time to revert to choosing "second (or third, or fourth) best" moves.

13.d4 Bxd4 14.Rxd4 Nf7 15.Be3 a6 16.Rb4 b5 17.Rf4 Be6 18.Re1 

Threatening 19.Bc5+ and 20.Rxe6 

18...Re8 19.Rf3 Ke7 20.Bd4 Ng5 21.Rg3 Nge4  

22.Rxg7+ Kd6 23.f3 Nxc3 24.Be5+ Kc5 25.Bxf6 Nxa2+ 26.Kb1 Nb4 27.Re7 Rxe7 28. Bxe7+ Kc4 

It will not take much more... for White to score the point.

 29.Rxe6 c5 30.Bf6

Threatening 31.b3 mate

30...d4 31. Bxh8 Black resigned

*Mister Bill

(based on "Mister Blue", words and music by Tom Paxton deranged by Rick Kennedy)

Good morning Mister Bill, we've gathered quite a fill.
The evidence is clear, that you've been scheming.
You like to steal a point and terrorize the joint.
You like to brutalize our chessic dreaming.
What will it take, to whip you into line?
An offered piece?
A fumbled Knight?
It can be arranged.
It can be arranged.

Step softly Mister Bill, we know that danger is a thrill.
We know just where your mad attack will take you.
You've got a loss to fill, and fulfill it, yes, you will.
You'll learn to turn your King, or we'll soon make you.
Oh, what will it take, to whip you into line?
A bad mouse-slip?
A case of shaken nerves?
It can be arranged.
It can be arranged.

Be careful Mister Bill this phase that you're in, still,
Can lead you nowhere else, but to disaster.
Excuse us while we grin, you've worn our patience thin.
It's time to show you just who is your master.
What will it take, to whip you into -- What?
You threaten mate?
Please take my Rook?
It can be arranged.
It can be arranged.

Don't worry Mister Bill, you're in for one more thrill.
Just think of it as lightning and thunder.
But can we think again, oh, did we think again,
Or have we just performed a foolish blunder?
What did it take, to trip and take a fall?
A grevious pride?
A swelled-up head?
It seems it was arranged.
It seems it was arranged.

SNAFU

Here is my worst loss with the Jerome Gambit, ever. To someone rated more than 300 points below me. I was going to "overlook" it, but that did not seem quite honest.

As you might expect, there was something very strange about the game.


perrypawnpusher  - anandh
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bc5

The Italian Four Knights Game.

5.Bxf7+

The Italian Four Knights Jerome Gambit.

5...Kxf7 6.Nxe5+ Nxe5 7.d4 

7...Bxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6 9.Qd3 Ng4

10.Bf4

Anticipating ...Qh4, protecting h2, and allowing the possibility of 0-0-0 – but when I played the move, something didn't look right.

I realized that my clock had stopped, and so had my opponent's. I was using the BabasChess software to connect to FICS, and that kind of a thing had never happened before.

I watched nothing happen on the screen for a while, then, foolishly, to see what would happen, I tried to move one of my opponent's pieces (nothing) and then one of mine (nothing).

Of course, the software took my attempt to move one of my pieces as a pre-move, and when everything unfroze, BabasChess executed my move right after my opponent's. Therefore

10...Nge5 11.Bg3 Nxd3+ White resigned

Like I said, I was going to just "forget" about the game and leave it out of The Database, but when I played through the FICS games from August, 2011 – provided, again, by the indefatigueable Jerome Gambit Gemiende member Welton Vaz – I encountered the following pair of miniatures

bogsnes - exactement
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Kf8 7.Qf5+ Qf6 White resigned

White's 7th move was clearly a mouse-slip for the intended 7.Qxe5.

thehallmessenger - Gigabyterules
standard, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nd4 Bxd4 White resigned

White's 5th move was clearly a mouse-slip for the intended 5.Nxe5.

I decided that if I was going to include bogsnes' and thehallmessenger's slips, I should include mine as well.