The Old "Poisoned Rook" Trick Again

It can be fun for Black to play a game of "duelling Knights" in certain lines of the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit - his Knight is busy on one side of the board while White's is busy on the other - but he has to be careful not to fall victim of a poisoned piece.

aguisou - Gomenovich
blitz, FICS, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+

Interestingly, drumme - Gomenovich, blitz, FICS, 2014 continued 6.c3 Nc6  before the Queen check, 7.Qh5+ g6 8.Nxg6 Qf6 9.Nxh8+ Kd8 10.Nf7+ Ke7 11.d3 Qxf7 12.Bg5+ Nf6 13.Bxf6+ Qxf6 14.Qxh7+ Qg7 15.Qh4+ Ke8 16.0-0 Ne5 17.Nd2 Nxd3 18.Nf3 d6 19.e5 Qg4 20.Qh8 dxe5 21.Nxe5 Nxe5 22.Qxe5+ Be7 23.Rae1 Bd7 24.Qxe7 checkmate.

Kicking the Knight first didn't work in gregweb - Gomenovich, blitz, FICS, 2015 as Black had an effective counter 6.c3 d6 7.cxd4 dxe5 8.dxe5 Qe7 9.d4 Bd7 10.0-0 Nh6 11.Nc3 c5 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Bxh6 gxh6 14.Nf6+ Kf7 15.Qh5+ Ke7 16.d5 Bg7 17.d6+ Kf8 18.e6 Bxe6 19.e5 Bxf6 20.exf6 Qxf6 21.Qxc5 Kf7 22.Qc7+ Kg6 23.Qxb7 Rhb8 24.Qe4+ Bf5 25.Qe7 Qxe7 26.dxe7 Re8 27.Rfe1 Kf7 28.Rac1 Rac8 29.Rcd1 Rxe7 30.Rxe7+ Kxe7 31.Rd5 Be6 32.Ra5 Rc7 33.Rh5 Rc1 checkmate.

aguisou has had some experience with 6.c3 as well, in a couple of games played a couple of months apart: 6...Qg5 7.cxd4 Qxg2 8.Qf3 Qg5 9.Qf7+ (here Black resigned in aLmaLja - aguisou, blitz, FICS, 2014) Kd8 10.Qxf8 checkmate, aLmaLja - aguisou, blitz, FICS, 2014.

6...g6 7.Nxg6 Nxc2+ 

The pawn is digestible, but the Rook is poisoned. 

8.Kd1 Nxa1

A quick look at The Database shows 65 games with this position. White scores 82%. 

9.Nxh8+ Ke7

10.Qf7+ 

Or 10.Qe5 checkmate. perrypawnpusher - mbranimir, blitz, FICS, 2009. 

10...Kd6 11.e5+ 

Or 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qe5 checkmate. Yes, I missed the mate, too, in perrypawnpusher - robertpthom, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32).

White has his own ideas on how to win the game.

11...Kc6 12.Qc4+ Bc5 

There is danger everywhere: 12...Kb6 13.Nc3 (13.d3 Qg5 14.Bxg5 Black resigned, Handlangari - PlatinumKnight, FICS, 2005) 13...c5 14.Nf7 Qe7 15.Nd5+ Black resigned, GOH - Neca, FICS, 2008.

13.d4 b5 14.Qxc5+ Kb7 15.Qxb5 checkmate.

Warning: a1 & h8

Chessfriend Welton Vaz has again generously provided a collection of recent (July 2011) Jerome Gambit (and related) games from the FICS database. One game, in particular, holds a warning for those who would meet the Blackburne Shilling Gambit with 4.Bxf7+!?


albgameiro - Alekingg
blitz, FICS, 2011

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nxc2+

Points of relevance:

1) The Blackburne Shilling Gambit is a fun way to try to bamboozle White with trappy play.

2) The Jerome Gambit treatment of the BSG, 4.Bxf7+, leads to an objectively even game, although White has great practical chances if Black is taken unawares.

3) Black's defense with 5...Ke8 as played in the game, is good, especially if he is happy with a draw; providing that he answers 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 with 7...hxg6. See "Incomplete" for a recent examination.

4) The text move for Black risks little, as long as the second player is aware of all of the consequences, and especially if he avoids the punishment for greed by returning to the ...hxg6 line on his next move (if White plays 8.Kd1).

5) The tactical play is more complex than If-you-take-my-Rook-then-I-will-take-your-Rook, requiring some planning (preferrably before the game).

8.Kf1

The wrong direction. 

Correct was 8.Kd1 as in perrypawnpusher - lourotors, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 37);  perrypawnpusher - robertpthom, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 32); and perrypawnpusher - ZekeTheWolf, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 30).

The difference is that after 8.Kd1, 8...Nxa1 leads to mate (see "The Somnambulists"). White gets a bit of an edge after 8.Kd1 Nf6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxe7 Qxe7 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7 12.Kxc2.

After 8.Kd1 hxg6 9.Qxg6+ Ke7 10.d4 White has threats that Black did not meet in three games in The Database, but 10...Bh6!? seems to hold after 11.Kxc2 or 11.Bg5+, with White's extra pawns balanced by Black's extra piece.

However, in the game, White's King moved away from the marauding Knight.

8...hxg6

Rybka 3 suggests that after 8...Nf6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxh8 d6 11.Qc3 Nxa1 12.b3 Be6 13.Qxa1 Kd7 14.Qd4 Qxh8 White does not have enough compensation for his missing piece.

The text is a test of White's greed.

9.Qxh8

The players could have arrived at this position through the move order 7...hxg6 8.Qxh8? Nxc2+ 9.Kf1?! When Black, likewise, would be better.

Taking the Black g-pawn with 9.Qxg6+ would have reduced, but not eliminated, Black's advantage, especially if the second player utilized a timely ...Bh6.

9...Nxa1

This is a complicated position, played at blitz speed, so it is not fair to go too hard on either player; but White's a1 Rook wasn't going anywhere, so 9...Kf7 first would have spared Black's King Knight. 

10.Qxg8 Qf6

11.e5

The idea here seems to be 11...Qxe5 12.Qxg6+ and a balanced game.

11...Qa6+

Seeking to free his Knight with ...Qxh2, perhaps, but achieving a whole lot more than that.

12.d3

Maybe White, wishing the Knight at a1 dead and gone for so long, thought it had by now departed.

12...Qxd3+ 13.Ke1 Nc2 checkmate

The Somnambulists

 My opponent and I were obviously up past our bedtimes when we played the following game. It is as if we were sleep-walking... The checkmate that Black falls into is quite a nightmare, however.

perrypawnpusher - robertpthom

blitz, FICS, 2010

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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8

6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nxc2+

Very tempting, but as we have seen before 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ Kf7 11.Qxd4 d5 is better and leads to equality.

8.Kd1 Nxa1

During the game I knew that this was the wrong move, (8...hxg6 was still best) but I could not clear my head as to why.

9.Nxh8+ Ke7

The updated New Year's Database has 37 games with this position, not counting the current game. White scored 31 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses – even though the position is White to move and mate in 1.

10.Qf7+

Missing, of course, 10.Qe5 mate. Amazingly, of the above 37 games in the database, only 4 ended with this winning move, including perrypawnpusher - mbranimir, blitz, FICS, 2009. Ouch!

It's not like it's rocket surgery...

10...Kd6 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qxg8

Again, instead, there was 12.Qe5 mate.

Hats off to jtapia, who found the move in his game against jmercado, FICS, 2007. Eight of us did not, although Ronels played 12.Qg5+ Nf6 13.Qe5 mate against sarosha, FICS, 2010. 

White is still better, of course, but as long as the game continues there is opportunity for error.

12...Bh6

This offer to safeguard the King by exchanging Queens eliminates the danger of an early checkmate, but it drops a piece and turns the game into a technical win for White. 

13.Qxd8+

Even stronger was 13.Qxh7+ Ke6 14.d4, but I was comfortable with the Queens off of the board.

13...Kxd8 14.Nf7+ Ke7 15.Nxh6 d6

16.b3 Kf6 17.h3 Be6 18.Ng4+ Kg6 19.Bb2 Nxb3 20.axb3 Bxb3+

Black's connected passed pawns on the Queenside do not make up for being down two Knights.

21.Ke2 Bc4+ 22.d3 Bb5 23.f4 Rf8 24.f5+ Kg5

Black wants his King active, but he compounds his difficulties by walking into a mating net. 

25.Bc1+ Kh4 26.Nc3

This move is, of course, okay, but 26.Bf4 starts a mate-in-eleven. 

26...Bd7 27.Nd5 c6 28.Nf4

Closing the net around the Black King, although 28.g3+ led more directly to checkmate. 

28...d5 29.Kf3 dxe4+ 30.dxe4 b5 31.g3+ Kg5 32.h4 checkmate