Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Report Card (Part 5)

Once more: this post is another in a series developed after I stopped by the lichess.com website and examined a number of Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) games, only to see that White had scored 1 - 7 in those matches.

I wanted to find out how many of those games were because of information that was missing or overlooked at this site. This can be particularly crucial in blitz game, where a player can get into trouble quickly.

Sasan73 - bccxo

3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4  

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.O-O 

Okay. Wow. We can stop right here. I was surpsed to find 129 games with this position in The Database; there are almost 3,365 posts on this blog; and not one discusses 6.0-0. Really.

Sure 6.c3 is suggested a number of times, but there is nothing like "stay away from 6.0-0" or "6.0-0 is not as effective as" or even "brave players might investigate 6.0-0".

Definitely a fail.

Also, if you play over the game, there is a bit of information that I probably only delivered in mirror image fashion: White's material compensation for his sacrificed piece (s) comes in the form of pawns from Black's Kingside.

6...Nf6 7.d3 Bc5 8.c3 Ne6 9.Bg5 Be7 10.Nd2 d6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Qh5+ g6 13.Nxg6 hxg6 14.Qxg6+ Ke7 

Against expectations, White will find that it is his King who is in danger. He has opened up lines against his own monarch and when Black grasps the intitative, there will be a killing attack.

15.f4 Rg8 16.Qf5 Nd4 17. Qa5 Nc2 18.Rac1 Ne3 19.Rf2 Bh4 20.g3 Bxg3 21.hxg3 Rxg3+ 22.Kh2 Qg8 23.Qxc7+ Ke8 Black won on time

So: Defnitely have to put 6.0-0 on the "to do" list.