Friday, March 13, 2015

A Bluffer Bluffed?


White and Black square off in the following contest, tossing suspect openings against each other. If the Blackburne Shilling Gambit is (like the Jerome) more a bluff than a solid opening, then clearly here the second player gets out-bluffed.

nalder - Pinckman
blitz, FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. 

Black hopes White doesn't know the opening, or doesn't give his next move much thought and quickly grabs the e-pawn with 4.Nxe5? only to be met with the gamy 4...Qg5!?

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. Meeting "tricky" with "tricky" - although the BSG is rated "objectively" better for White, while the BSJG is rated "objectively" even.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Qg4+


This is scary, but a bluff. The proper way to continue is 6.c3

6...Kxe5 7.f4+ 

More bellicosity.

7...Kxe4 

The "Exit" sign pointed to 7... Kd6.

8.Nc3 checkmate

This one was over so fast, it reminded me of the Marshall - Burn game from Paris 1900.

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