BSJG: From Defeat to Full Point

angelcamina titled the following game "From Defeat to Full Point".

He has 1,464 games in The Database. He knows how to persist to the full point.

angelcamina - George890

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025

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 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxh8 

There was a good discussion about this line - in 2011. Check out this blog's post, "Warning: a1 & h8".

8...Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 

Stockfish 16.1 evaluates this position as about a pawn better for Black: Black has the typical Jerome "advantage" of a piece for two pawns. Still, that Knight at a1is out of play; if only White could get to it.

Not as effective is 10.Nc3 Ne7 11.d3 d6 12.Bg5 Be6 13.Qh7 Qd7 14.Kd2 Kd8 15.Qxg6 c6 16.Bxe7+ Bxe7 17.Rxa1 Kc7 18.Qg3 Rg8 19.Qe3 Rxg2 20.Qf3 Rxh2 21.Rc1 Bg5+ 22.Kc2 Bxc1 23.Kxc1 Qh7 24.Kc2 Qh6 25.Qg3 Qh4 26.Qg7+ Kb6 27.Na4+ Ka6 28.b4 Qxf2+ 29.Kc3 Qd2+ 30.Kd4 Qxb4+ White resigned, angelcamina - Silver75, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2025 

10...Qg5 11.g3

This move risks checkmate.

angelcamina has also tried 11.d4 Qxg2 12.Re1 Qf3+ 13.Re2 Qd3+ (13...Qf7!?) 14.Rd2? (14.Ke1 =) 14...Qf1 checkmate angelcamina - S2JesuS2, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021

Probably best was 11.Rg1.

11...Qg4+ 12.Ke1 Qxe4+ 13.Kd1 Qxh1+ 14.Ke2 

Things look bleak for White (a threatened mate in 9 moves), but there is something in his favor. He has experience: over 40,600 games played at lichess.org, the vast majority of which are bullet. And this game is a 1-minute bullet game.

14...Qxc1 

This move preserves Black's advantage, but overlook 14...Qe4+ 15.Kf1 d5 16.f3 Qxf3+ 17.Kg1 Bh3 18.Qxg6+ Kd7 19.Qh7+ Kc6 20.Qxh3 Bc5+ 21.d4 Bxd4+ 22.Be3 Bxe3 checkmate 

15.Qxg6+ Ke7 16.Qe4+ Kd6 17.Qd4+ Kc6 

Black's King looks unsafe, but he should be able to deal with the Queen's checks.

To add to White's worries, Black has the threat of ...Qe1+, which allows the exchange of Queens due to the Knight fork at c2.

18.Nc3 Nc2 

White's courage is rewarded.

Instead, 18...Qe1+ 19.Kf3 Qh1+ 20.Ke2 b6 and Black's King will escape to safety at b7, with advantage. 

19.Qd5+ Kb6 20.Qb5 checkmate

I am reminded of a book I once read, in which a pilot observed a crewman on their aircraft carrier stand - without flinching - an inch or so away from where the catapult (which would launch a jet) would stop...