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More email from Bill Wall

"I tried the reversed Blackburne Shilling Gambit and it turned out okay."

Wall,B - Fraga,R
Chess.com, 2011

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

White plays a "reversed" Blackburne Shilling Gambit, with Bc4 as an added move.

4...Nxe4 5.Qg4 Bxf2+

6.Kf1 0-0 7.Qxe4 Bc5


Instead, 7...Bxg1 was recommended by Michael Goeller and Fritz in our earlier look at this opening.

8.Bd3 f5 9.Qc4 Bxg1 10.Rxg1 Kh8

Fraga decided, after all, to exchange his dark-squared Bishop. The loss of tempo did not help.

Wall, a Jerome Gambiteer, now finds himself with the extra piece against what might, in other circumstanses, be called the "Jerome Pawns". (With that in mind, 10...e4 might have been stronger than the move played.)

11.Nxc7 d5 12.Qc3 f4 13.Nxa8 f3

This move looks dangerous for White's already uneasy King, but Black's lack of development makes following up on this move difficult.

14.gxf3 Rxf3+ 15.Ke2 Qf6

This "attacking" move is more than just an oversight that drops the Bishop on c8: it allows White to wrap things up neatly.


16.Qxc8+ Qf8 17.Qxf8+ Rxf8 18.Nc7 e4 19.Bxe4 dxe4 20.b3 Rc8 21.Bb2 Rxc7 22.Rxg7 Rxg7 23.Rg1 Black resigned