Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Report Card (Part 2)

 

Like I mentioned in the previous blog post, recently, I stopped by the lichess.com website to pick up a few Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) games. I grabbed the four listed in "Top games" and the four in "Recent games".

I was disappointed to see that White had scored 1 - 7 in those matches.

The first thought I had was: has this blog failed those players?

I had to know.

Mohsen3858 (2219)-  MasterAliFekri (2629)

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ 

Recommended as a bit stronger is 6.c3, which can lead to a balanced game.

6...g6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 

As I noted in earlier this year in "BSJG Dumpster Fire"

Stockfish 13 prefers 7...hxg6 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qg5 and gives Black the advantage in a messy position.

This was more of a continued discussion (of 8.Qxh8 vs 8.Qxg6+) after "A Discussion Continued" that occured 6 years ago

A number of years ago I got away with the weaker 8.Qxh8?! after 8...Nh6 when 8...Nxc2+, instead, would have led to an edge (Houdini) or an advantage (Stockfish 6) for Black after 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 in perrypawnpusher - tampajake, blitz, FICS 2009 (1-0, 12).

 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qg5 

I was surprised to see that there are 57 games in The Database with this position. Ominously, White scores 37%.

11.d3 

White wants to get his Bishop to h6, but the ugly 11.Rg1 was better.

11...Qg4+ 

Black is clearly better. It is true that he subsequently slipped a few times, giving White chances to draw, before eventually winning by checkmate in 21 moves.

The second player's win, however, was in large part due to his 400+ point rating advantage, and the attacker's choce of less-than-best lines of play.