Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit - Even the Young Are Playing It

I just found an interesting over-the-board Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game - in a U10 event, of all things!

It is not unusual to find a young player using the trappy Blackburne Shilling Gambit, but - was he surprised by 4.Bxf7+ ?

Black countered well and won; he finished 4.5/5 for second place in the tournament. White pushed on valiantly in a not-so-concrete position, but lost; he finished 3/5, for 9th place (tiebreak).

My notes will be light, in case either player (or a Reader!) would like to venture into this opening again.

Yuen, Lok - Zheng, Richard
Youth Championship semi-quick, Quebec, 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6 

Both players follow the "best" line. Black maintains a slight edge if he brings his King back to safety. White has a strong pawn center and much latitude as to how to play.

8.d3

A couple of alternatives to consider: 8.Nc3 Kf7 9.Qb3+ (9.O-O) 9...Ke8 10.d3 c6 11.O-O d6 12.Bf4 Qf6 13.Ne2 Qe6 14.d5 cxd5 15.Nd4 Qf6 16.Qb5+ Kf7 17.Qxd5+ Kg6 18.e5 Qxf4 19.Ne6 Bxe6 20.Qxe6+ Kh5 21.Rae1 Black forfeited on time, papernoose - nuum, FICS, 2004; and

8.O-O d6 9.f4 Kf7 10.Qb3+ Ke8 11.e5 dxe5 12.fxe5 Qxd4+ 13.Kh1 Qxe5 14.Qf7+ Kd8 15.Qxf8+ Qe8 16.Qxg7 Ne7 17.d3 Bf5 18.Bg5 Kd7 19.Rxf5 Qh5 20.Qxe7+ Kc6 Black resigned, topsoul - moisesserraramos, lichess.org, 2016. 

8...Kf7 9.Qf3+ 

Perhaps stronger was 9.O-O. However, we have also seen that strong players like Wall and Philidor1792 are quite willing to exchange Queens and play with the pawns against the extra piece, in quick time controls.

9...Qf6 10.Qxf6+ 

Again, it was possible to look at 10.Bf4 and 10.Qe3. 

10...Nxf6 

White has to find a way to use his "Jerome pawns".

11.Bf4 Bb4+ 12.Nc3 c6 13.Bc7 d5 14.e5 

Perhaps 14.f3. Now the Bishop's life becomes complicated.

14...Ne8 

15.Bd8 Bf5 16.Bh4 Bxd3 17.Kd2 Bf5 18.Rhe1 Nc7 19.Bg3 Ne6 20.f3 Nxd4 

It looks like time is short. Black is clearly better.

21.Rac1 Nb5 22.a3 Bxc3+ 23.bxc3 Nxa3 24.Re3 Nc4+ 25.Ke2 Nxe3 26.Kxe3 a5 27.Kf4 Ke6 28.Rd1 a4 29.c4 a3 30.cxd5+ cxd5 31.Rb1 Bxb1 White resigned