Update: Blackburne Defense

Given that the miniature Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885 is likely the most-well-known of Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) games, it stands to reason that the counter-attack that "The Black Death" adopted to utterly destroy his opponent is likely the most-well-known of the defenses to the Jerome Gambit.

However, as we have seen in the past, not everyone who "knows" the Blackburne defense actually knows it.

Last year we took a look at Jerome Gambit Gemeinde member blackburne, playing the Blackburne (of course, he plays against it, too). It looks like it's about time to check out how another Gemeinde member is handling the defense these days.

MrJoker - submariner
blitz 2 12, ICC, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

Here is Blackburne's offer of a Rook.

My guess is that most players believe that it wins for Black. Some (secretly) know that it wins for White. A few (even more secretly) know that it leads to an edgy draw...

8.Qxh8

Depending on your mood, or upon your opponent, you can pass on the Rook, although that leaves Black better. That did not seem to matter in MrJoker - chiron, Internet Chess Club 2011: 8.Qg3 Qe7 9.d3 Nf6 10.O-O Kg7 11.Nc3 c6 12.Be3 Bb6 13.f4 Bc7 14.f5 Nh5 15.Bd4+ Kg8 16.Qg4 Nf6 17.Qg5 Kf7 18.fxg6+ hxg6 19.Rxf6+ Black resigned.

8... Qh4

The idea: Black will combine a checkmate attack with plans to trap White's Queen – not so much to win it (although that is possible if the first player gets sloppy), but to keep it out of play (even if it takes the further sacrifice of the other Black Rook).

This year MrJoker faced 8... Bxf2+, which was a bit of an odd move, as if his opponent "knew" that 7...d6 was the right way to go, but did not know how to continue further. The game went 9.Kxf2 Qh4+ 10.g3 Qxe4 11.Qxh7+ Kf6 12.Qh4+ Qxh4 13.gxh4 Bh3 14.Kg3 Bf5 15.d3 Nh6 16.Bxh6 and Black resigned, MrJoker - NSonnenberg, Internet Chess Club, 2011.

9. O-O

Another complicated defense (for White, against the counter-attack) is 9.d4 (see "A Closer Look (Part V)" as in 9...Qxe4+ 10.Be3 Bb6 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Nc3 Qe7 13.Qxe7+ Nxe7 14.O-O-O Bf5 15.Bg5 Nc6 16.Nd5 Be6 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.d5 Bxd5 19.Rxd5 Nb4 20.Rd4 Nxa2+ 21.Kb1 Ra5 22.Bd2 Black resigned, MrJoker -carrotop, Internet Chess Club, 2011.

9... Bg4

This is a new move, as far as The Database is concerned. Perhaps Black did not remember 9...Nf6 10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13. Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14. gxh3 Bxe4 checkmate, Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885. Wow!


Chances are that MrJoker remembered 9...Nf6 10.d4 Bxd4 11.Qd8 Bf5 12.Qxc7+ Bd7 13.Qxd6 Bb6 14.e5 Ng4 15.Qxd7+ Kg8 16.h3 Bxf2+ 17.Kh1 h5 18.Bf4 Black resigned, mrjoker - annicks, Internet Chess Club, 2000.

10. d4

Blocking the attacking dark-squared Bishop. White has some untangling to do, but he has the exchange and a couple of pawns for his discomfort. 

10...Bb6 11.f3 Bd7 12.Be3 Re8 13.Bf2 Qh5

Black is still fighting: he has rescued one Bishop, then the other; he has moved his Queen out of the line of fire; and he has finally protected his Rook, so that he can finally trap the White Queen...

White would do well to play 14.e5 now, setting up f6 as an escape square for his Queen after ...Ne7.

14.Nc3 Nf6 15.Qxe8+ Kxe8

White has two Rooks and two pawns for a Queen and a Bishop – not quite enough for equality, but plenty enough for him to keep fighting.  

16.Rae1 Kf7 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Bxf2+ 19.Rxf2 Ng8

20.Nd5 c6

White now reverses his next two moves, but he gets away with it.

21.e6+ Bxe6 22.Nf4 Qc5

Instead, 22...Qa5 holds because of 23.Rxe6 g5!?

23.Nxe6 Nf6

A final, fatal slip.

24.Nxc5 Black resigned