Through the Looking Glass: A Reversed BSG

I'm not quite sure how I first ran into the following game, but it is unusual enough to share with Readers. How many times have you come across a reversed Blackburne Shilling Gambit??

Nielsen,C - Olsen,K
1989

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nd5

Certainly White has a variety of alternatives to this exotic move, but so, too, does Black when he plays 3...Nd4 in the Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4...Nxe4 5.Qg4

Just as White is cautioned against taking Black's e-pawn in the regular BSG, because of 4...Qg5, so, too, he gets to play his own Queen out in the reversed lines.

5...Bxf2+

Rybka 3, analyzing the game in "blunder check" mode, notes that this is the "last book move", suggesting that at least one of the programmers considered the reversed Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Interesting.

6.Kf1 Qh4

Black goes all to pieces and protects his Knight with his Queen which is protected by his Bishop which is protected by the Knight...

He would be advised next time the opportunity arises to find 6...0-0 7.Qxe4 Bxg1 8.Kxg1 c6 recovering his lost piece, with roughly an equal game. 

7.Qxh4

This leads to a White advantage, but 7.Qxg7 would lead to an even larger White advantage. 

7...Bxh4 8.Nxc7+ Kd8 9.Nxa8

9...f5 10.Nf3 Bf6 11.d3 Nd6 12.Bd5 Nc6 13.Bd2 Ne7 14.Bb3 b6 15.Bb4 Ne8 16.Bc3 d6 17.Kf2 Bb7 18.Nxb6 axb6

The smoke has settled, and White is the exchange ahead. He can be happy with his opening experiment.

However, for the rest of the game he is out-played by his opponent, eventually dropping the full point. The endgame is interesting, but I will not comment further on individual moves:

19.Rab1 g5 20.h3 Ng6 21.Bd2 h6 22.Be3 Kc7 23.Bf7 Ne7 24.Rhe1 Ng7 25.Bc4 g4 26.hxg4 fxg4 27.Nh2 Bh4+ 28.g3 Rf8+ 29.Kg1Bxg3 30.Rf1 Bxh2+ 31.Kxh2 g3+ 32.Kg1 Rxf1+ 33.Rxf1 Nef5 34.Bd2 h5 35.d4 exd4 36.Bd3 Bc8 37.Bxf5 Nxf5 38.Bf4 h4 39.Rf3 Bb7 40.Rd3 Be4 41.Rd2 h3 42.Bxg3 Nxg3 43.Rf2 d3 44.cxd3 Bxd3 45.Rf3 Ne2+ 46.Kh2 Bc4 47.Rxh3 Bxa2 48.Re3 Nd4 49.Kg2 Kc6 50.Kf2 Kb5 51.Rc3 Bc4 52.Ke1 d5 53.Kd2 Kc5 54.Rg3 b5 55.Rc3 b4 56.Rg3 Nb3+ 57.Kc2 d4 58.Rg5+ Kb6 59.Rg3 Kb5 60.Rg5+ Ka4 61.Rg3 Nc5 62.Rg4 d3+ 63.Kc1 Kb3 64.Rd4 Na4 65.Kb1 Nxb2 66.Ka1 Kc2 67.Rd8 d2 68.Rd6 Nd3 69.Rxd3 Bxd3 70.Ka2 Bc4+ White Resigned