Never Mind...

Except for the occasional Jedi Mind Trick (see "Jedi Mind Tricks", "Jedi Mind Tricks / Rematch" and "Sith still and don't move...") there doesn't seem to be a lot to support Black's choice of 4th and 5th moves.


perrypawnpusher - Roetman
blitz, FICS, 2010

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit, sometimes devastating against those who have never seen it before.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. Although objectively the best that White should get out of the line is a draw, I have scored 90% with it in 25 games (not counting this one).

The updated New Year's Database indicates that my opponent had faced this move 6 times previously.

4...Ke7

Other than the erronious idea "White wants me to take the Bishop, so I won't take the Bishop" it's hard to see the "why?" here.

Roetman had played this move twice (unsuccessfully) in 2004, and then moved on to the standard 4...Kxf7. I've faced 4...Ke7 three times (starting with "Opening Disaster") without a loss.

I suppose from a literary point of view, that's called "foreshadowing."

5.Bb3

Both 5.Bxg8, as in perrypawnpusher - TheProducer, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 16) and perypawnpusher - zadox, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 29), and 5.Bc4, as in perrypawnpusher - zadox, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 14) are good alternatives.

5...Ke8

Again, I am at a loss to explain this. All I can do is punish it severely, and hope that a lesson is learned.

6.Nxd4 exd4 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Qe5+ Qe7 9.Qxh8

9...Nf6

Hoping to trap White's Queen.

The sharper 9...Qxe4+ displaces White's King to f1, but the extra Rook that the first player has is bound to tell.

10. d3 d6 11. Bg5 Kd7 12. Qxf6 Black resigned

Capturing with the Bishop was even stronger, but I thought that the game would be simpler with the ladies off of the board.