Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit Update

 

A few months ago I presented a series of Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+) games in the format of seven  Report Cards (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) reflecting

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.

Was the information available on this site enough for the players to use and be successful?

To be fair, were the players even aware of this blog and my recommendations?

Actually, I have no idea.☺  

Still, I just downloaded the current four "Top games" with the line, as well as the four in "Recent games". This time White scored 5 - 3.

The following BSJG game gets quite complicated, with the clock adding to the madness.

Osdoshsharaa1 - TikoP

5 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2021

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 

Black's King is ready to grab material. It is interesting to see that Stockfish 14.1 slightly prefers 5...Ke8, with the King eventually moving to f7 and then g8, castling-by-hand.

6.c3 Nc6 

The alternative, in 335 games in The Database, is 6...Kxe5.

7.Qg4+ 

As I pointed out in my notes to SotoG - njkiller, blitz FICS, 2001 (1-0, 21)

Here SotoG keeps the play very sharp, offering a second piece to keep Black's King in danger.

A calmer follow-up (although the game had its explosive moments) is 7.d4, which SotoG had played a year earlier: 7...Nxe5 8.dxe5 d5 9.Qg4+ Kf7 10.Qh5+ g6 11.Qf3+ Kg7 12.exd5 Bc5 13.Bf4 Ne7 14.c4 Rf8 15.Qg3 Nf5 16.Qd3 Qh4 17.g3 Bxf2+ 18.Kxf2 Nxg3 19.hxg3 Qxh1 20.e6 b6 21.Qf3 Kg8 22.Qxh1 Black resigned, SotoG - Ludek, blitz FICS, 2000

Rybka (blunder check, 5 minutes per move) suggests: 7.d4 Nxe5 8.dxe5 as well, continuing 8...Kf7 9.e6+ Ke8 10.Qh5+ g6 11.exd7+ Qxd7 12.Qe5+ Kf7 13.Qxh8 Nf6 14.Nd2 Bg7 15.Nf3 Bxh8 16.Ne5+ Ke6 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 18.Be3 b6 19.0-0-0 – absolutely out-of-this-world play for both Black and White...

Stockfish 14.1 suggests the wild 7.d4 Nxe5 8.dxe5 Kf7 9.e6+ Ke8 10.Qh5+ g6 11.exd7+ Qxd7 12.Qe5+ Kf7 13.Qxh8 Nf6 14.Nd2 Bg7 15.Nf3 Bxh8 16.Ne5+ Kg8 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 18.O-O Ne5 19.f4 Nc4 20.e5 Bg7 21.b3 Nb6 22.c4 with an edge to the second player.

7...Kxe5 8.d4+ 

Black's King is uncomfortable, but he has two pieces in exchange for two pawns to console himself. One possible continuation now is 8...Kd6 9.e5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ Nf6 when Black would give a piece back in order to be able to retreat his King to safety.

It is important to remember that this is a 5 minute blitz game, and deep analysis is sometimes hard to come by.

8...Nxd4 

Surprisingly, Black decides on a different way to return a Knight for a couple of pawns - although The Database shows two earlier games with the move. There is a problem with the move, however, that White in each of the games overlooks.

9.cxd4+ 

Sharp Readers will have caught 9.Bf4+ Kf6 10.Bg5+ Kf7 11.Bxd8. Black has lost his Queen.

9...Kxd4 

According to plan, but returning his King to danger. In fact, White now has a checkmate in 8 moves.

10.Be3+ Kc4 

11.Nd2+ Kb5 12.Qf5+ 

Wandering away from the winning line. White needed to get his Queen around the e-pawn another way: 12.Qe2+ Kc6 13.Qc4+ Kd6 14.Bc5+ Kc6 15.Bxf8+ Kb6 16.Qb3+ Ka6 17.Qa4+ Kb6 18.Nc4 checkmate.  

12...c5

Blocking the check with 12...d5, also opening an attack on the enemy Queen, was best. 

13.a4+ Kb6 

Still in danger. Remember the old adage When the attacker makes a mistake he loses the attack, but when the defender makes a mistake he loses the game.

14.Nc4+ Kc7 15.Bxc5 

Leveling the complicated game. Instead, 15.Bf4+ d6 16.Qxc5+ Kd7 17.Bxd6 was the way.

15...Bxc5 

Black needed to find the tricky move 15...d6 when Stockfish 14.1 suggests a draw by repetition with 16.Qf4 Qf6 17.Qg3 Qg6 18.Qf4.

Things are not easy.

16.Qxc5+ Kb8 

17.O-O 

I think I would castle, too, and catch my breath.

Sharpest was 17.Nd6, both threatening a Knight fork at f7 and planning to put more pieces into the checkmate attack with Rc1. Black's best, but sad, response would be 17...Qc7 18.Qxc7+ Kxc7 19.Nf7. 

17...Nf6 18.e5 Ne4 19.Qe3 d5 20.exd6 Nxd6 

 

The danger to Black's King now comes from the b8-h2 diagonal.

21.Qg3 Kc7 22.Rfd1 Qf6 23.Rxd6 Qxb2 24.Rd2+ Black resigned

Quite a battle!