Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Jerome Gambit: The Not-Quite-Blackburne Defense



The following Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game shows the kind of problems the defender can get into if he assembles only part of an effective defense. In this particular case, the Blackburne Defense would have given him a complicated, but playable game. Instead, he becomes part of a miniature game, when he underestimates the danger he is in. 


williamnorge - muhammedsaid2008

10 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 8.Qxh8 Qg5 


The Blackburne defense has two main goals: attack the enemy King and trap the enemy Queen. Usually one step in this process is 8...Qh4. The text move hits one goal, but overlooks the other. 

It also puts Black's Queen at risk for a properly-timed discovered attack.

(If you guessed that muhammedsaid2008 plays the Blackburne Shilling Gambit, which features ...Qg5 as an attacking move, you would be right. )

9.O-O 

White moves his King to safety, addressing goal #1. He also could have addressed goal #2 with 9.Qxh7+ which might have been a little bit stronger. 

9...Nf6 

Black protects the pawn at h7, and blocks the a1-h8 diagonal so White's Queen can not excape that way.

10.d3 

Attacking the enemy Queen, although a fuller implementation of the idea could be found in 10.d4, attacking Black's Bishop, too.

Black does not realize the danger. He could try to repair things with 10...Qh5, when White should try 11.Qd8, planning to capture at c7 and escape. 11...Bb6 stalls that plan, but White remains the exchange and two pawns ahead.

10...b6 11.Bxg5 Black resigns




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