Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Tactical Finish

You can play the most sound, or the least reputable openings, but sometimes it just comes down to tactics.

Longtime blog contributor angelcamina shows how it is done.

angelcamina - Mitay93

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. 

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6  

Not 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4+ Kc6 9.Qd5 checkmate, angelcamina - umutkaraca09, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019. 

7.Nxg6 hxg6 

Instead, 7... Nxc2+ should only lead to an even game 8.Kd1 Nxa1 9.Nxh8+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.d4 Kc6 12.Qd5+ Kb6 13.Nc3 c6 14.Qb3+ Kc7 15.Bf4+ d6 16.Qf7+ Ne7 17.e5 d5 18.e6+ Kb6 19.Na4+ Ka5 20.b3 b5 21.Bd2+ Ka6 22.Nc5+ Kb6 23.Qf4 Ng6 24.Qe3 Nxh8 25.Qc3 Bxc5 26.Qa5+ Kb7 27.Qxd8 Bb6 28.Qe7+ Ka6 29.Qxh7 Bb7 30.e7 Black resigned, angelcamina - eloali, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019.

The counter-attack 7...Nf6 is not enough, e.g. 8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 Bg7 10.Qf5 Bxh8 11.e5 Nd5 12.Qxh7 Bxe5 13.Qg8+ Nf8 14.f4 Nxf4 15.O-O Ne2+ 16.Kh1 Qe7 17.d4 Bxd4 18.Bg5 Ng3+ 19.hxg3 White won on time, angelcamina - Skhokho1507, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019.

Also insufficient: 7...Qf6 8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.e5 Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Qxf2 11.Qf7+ Kd8 12.Qxf2 Black resigned, angelcamina - felix_paton, 1 0, bullet, lichess.org, 2019.

8.Qxh8 Nf6 

Possibly a mouse slip: 8...Ke7 9.Qxd4 Ke8 10.O-O Be7 11.f4 Nf6 12.e5 Ng4 13.f5 b6 14.Qxg4 gxf5 15.Qg6+ Kf8 16.Rxf5+ Bf6 17.Rxf6+ Ke7 18.Rf7+ Ke8 19.Qg8 checkmate, angelcamina - aldiardiansyah, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 

9.O-O

Better than 9.Kd1 d5 10.e5 Nd7 11.c3 Nc6 12.e6 Nf6 13.Re1 Qe7 14.d3 b6 15.Bg5 Bb7 16.Bxf6 Qd6 17.e7 Nxe7 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Rxe7+ Kxe7 20.Qe5+ Kd7 21.Kc2 Bd6 22.Qg7+ Kc6 23.Nd2 d4 24.cxd4 Rf8 25.f3 Rf5  26.Ne4 Rd5 27.Nxd6 Rxd6 28.Rc1 Ba6 29.Kd2+ Kb7 30.Qxc7+ White won on time, angelcamina - shahramkhoshseffat, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019) 

9...Nxc2 

White can afford to offer the Rook.

10.e5 Nd5 11.d4 Nxa1 12.Bh6 Qe7 

13.Nd2

The correct Knight move was 13.Nc3, but at bullet speed there are plenty of slips ahead for both sides.

13...Nc2 14.Ne4 Nxd4 15.f4 Nf5 16.Bg5 

A core bullet recommendation: When in doubt, make a threat.

16...Qf7 17.Rd1 c6 18.Rxd5 

Why is White doing this?

18...cxd5 19.Nf6+ Kd8 20.Nxd5+ Ke8 21.Nc7 checkmate