When Joseph Henry Blackburne crushed the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) in 1884, he made it look easy.
Ever since, analysts have fought back, arguing No, it's a win for White, and eventually It looks like a draw, after much excitement.
Still, wherever the Jerome is played, there are defenders who will try the Blackburne, and the result will be success for the one who knows the opening better, who has the greater tactical skill - or who happens to be luckier on that day.
The following 3-minute game reflects the chances for and against the Blackburne. It's quite a challenge for a blitz game. Be sure to check out the notes, too, as there is plenty of fighting chess to be found there.
Fandorin83 - funcrabby
3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6
This is one of two ways that White deals with the Blackburne defense.
The other is 9.d4, which has scored 10 - 1 according to The Database. Three continuations show how complex the play can become
Black wins the Queen for two Rooks and a Bishop: 9...Bb4+ 10.c3 Bh3 11.gxh3 Re8 12.O-O Nf6 13.Qxe8+ Kxe8 14.cxb4 Nxe4 15.Nc3 Nxc3 16.bxc3 Qxh3 17.f3 Kd7 18.Be3 Qf5 19.Rae1 Kc8 20.Rf2 b5 21.Kg2 Kb7 22.h4 ;
White's Queen escapes and he is up a piece, but his King is uneasy: 9...Qxe4+ 10.Be3 Qxg2 11.Qxh7+ Kf8 12.Rf1 Bb4+ 13.c3 Bf5 14.cxb4 Bd3 15.Nd2 Re8 16.Qh4 Kg7 17.Qg3 Bxf1 18.Nxf1 Qd5 19.O-O-O Qxa2 20.d5 ; and
White's Queen escapes but Black wins it for two Rooks and an attack that fizzles: 9...Nf6 10.e5 dxe5 11.Nd2 Bxd4 12.O-O Bd7 (12...Be6 13.Nf3 Bxf2+ 14.Rxf2 Qxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Rxh8 16.Nxe5+) 13.Qxa8 Bc6 14.Qd8 Qg4 15.Qxc7+ Kg8 16.Qxc6 bxc6 17.Nf3 Bb6 18.h3 Qf5 19.Be3 Bxe3 20.fxe3 Qxc2 21.Rac1 Qe4 22.Rfe1
9...Nf6
Following Blackburne's plan of working to trap White's Queen. With luck, he can sacrifice the other Rook, as well.
10.d4
I don't know for sure, but I would guess that White remembered that d2-d4 was one of the solutions to the Blackburne defense - but 3 0 blitz games are full of partially remembered stuff, and this move is a good example.
The way out was 10.Qd8 Bb6 11.e5 dxe5 12.Qd3 although Stockfish 13 shows that it takes some work to keep the advantage, i.e. 12...Bf5 13.Qb3+ Kg7 14.d4 Rd8 15.Nd2 Qxd4 16.a4 a5 17.h3 e4 18.Nb1 Qe5 19.Na3 Be6 20.Qc3 Qxc3 21.bxc3 Rd6 22.Bf4 Rc6 23.Be5 h5 24.Bd4 Bc5 25.Nb5 b6 Whew!
That said, the move serves its purpose brilliantly.
10...Bxd4
Now everything works like clockwork. Almost.
Black needed to find 10...Bh3!, when his attack would roll on, e.g. 11.Qxf6+ (there's no help for it: 11.Qxa8 allows checkmate after 11...Qg4; and 11.gxh3 Rxh8 12.dxc5 leaves White with a Rook and a Bishop for his Queen, while Black can also gather up some loose pawns as well) Kxf6 12.gxh3 Bxd4 13.c3 Bb6 and Black's material advantage will be supplemented by an active Queen vs White's vulnerable King.
11.c3
In turn, White misses a chance to liberate his Queen and grab back the advantage: 11.Qd8 Bb6 12.e5 dxe5 13.Be3 Bh3 (nice try!) 14.Qd1 (again, 14.Qxa8 allows mate after 14...Qg4) Rd1 (you've got to love it, taking the Rook now still leades to checkmate) 15.Qe2 Be6 (sad) 16.Nd2 and White is ahead the exchange as things begin to settle down.
That's a lot to wade through in a blitz game.
11...Be5
This move makes sense, as it safeguards the Bishop and adds to Black's attack. That said, 11...Bh3 was still possible, and even 11...Ng4 could be played, as the move threatens checkmate and uncovers the Bishop's attack on the Queen.
12.f4
A typical Jerome Gambit move when there is an enemy piece on e5, and one that complicates things further. Black now has two ways to pursue his attack on the King (see the above note) and he chooses ther lesser one.
12...Ng4
Instead, 12...Bh3 13.fxe5 (13.Qxa8 still loses to 13...Qg4, but after a few more wrinkles) 13...Rxh8 14.Rxf6+ Kg7 15.gxh3 dxe5 16.Rf3 Rd8 (encouraging the White Knight to block its Bishop's diagonal) 17.Nd2 Qe1+ 18.Rf1 Qe3+ 19.Rf2 Rf8 20.Nf3 Qxe4 21.Kg2 Rf5 22.Bd2 Qd3 23.Raf1 Rxf3 24.Rxf3 Qxd2+ The material would be about even, but the position favors Black.
13.fxe5+ Black resigned
As the Joker said, "Why so serious?" What has changed so that Black has to resign?
Well, we can start by guessing that the clock was becoming a factor.
Also, Black's only viable response at this point is the Blackburnian 13...Bf5, when 14.h3 (have to guard against mate) Rxh8 15.hxg4 Qxg5 16.exf5 gxf5 and White has Rook, Bishop and Knight for his Queen. Black can work to build an attack after 17.Nd2 with 17...h5 18.Nf3 Rg8 19.Rf2 h4 but 20.exd6 cxd6 21.Bd2 h3 22.Re1 looks better for White, especially after 22...hxg2 23.Nd4.
Quite a battle!
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