Please, don't do that...

I have said this before, nicely (see "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit" and "Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit (2)): please don't play the Blackburne Shilling Gambit against me... I tend to go Jerome all over it.

I was finishing up a nice evening of blitz at the Free Internet Chess Server (FICS), having played some fun games with several pleasant, creative opponents. The only disappointment was that I hadn't been able to either play or defend against a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). I had one last chance...

perrypawnpusher - tampajake

blitz 10 7, FICS, 2009

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

Time to insert some relevant discussion from a forum at ChessGames from 6 years ago:

Aulero: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 After 3...Nd4 4.Bxf7+, Simply 4.Bxf7+, I cannot resist to this shot, especially in a rapid game!

Cyphelium: 4. Bxf7+, as suggested above, doesn't convince me

Cyphelium: But ok, I admit that 4. Bxf7+ might be good after all. Though to play this, white has to agree to _defend_ his position, which hardly was your idea with the f7 sac. ;-)
Aulero: 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 My concern is about 5...Ke6 and White should prove that the attack is winning.
Honza Cervenka: 5...Ke7 is also possible.
Cyphelium: might indeed be the best move. No forced lines that I see. I guess white has to continue Cochrane gambit-style, develop his pieces and push forward his central pawns, hoping that black's king position will give him compensation. 6.c3 Might be a good start.
Aulero: 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qh3 [ I play 8.Qe5+ (not Qh3) and 8...Ne6 (8...Be7 9.Nxe7) 9.Nxh8 and I don't think White is worse.]
Cyphelium: 9...d5. Ok, of course 8.Qe5+ is more natural than 8.Qh3 and better too. It's not so simple though. 8. Qe5+ Ne6 9. Nxh8 and I think we should analyse further: and now white has to thread carefully. Or maybe I need more coffee and don't understand this at all?
Cyphelium: Possible, but look at this: A/ Few would play 10.exd5 I think: ( B/ 10.0-0 Bd6 11.Qf5 ( 11.Qc3 seems worse) 11...Nf4 12.Qg5 dxe4 and it's not so clear, but white might easily run into things like 13. Nc3 Nf4 14. Qg5 Bh3! Then a very nice (but not forced) variation is 15. Nxe4 Nxe4 16. Qg8+ Kd7 17. Qxd8+ (17.Qf7+!?)17.- Rxd8 18. gxh3 Rg8+! 19. Kh1 Nxh3 with mate on f2 to follow.
Cyphelium: Bd6 and now 11.Qf5 just loses to a) instead 11.Qc3 Nxd5 and black has active play and compensation. But perhaps not enough? (Though I would hate to be white.) b)There is the brilliant resource 11.Nf7 and - after 11...Bxe5 ( b)Why not 11...Kxf7 instead of 11.- Bxe5? 12.dxe6+ Bxe6 and it seems to me that white is lagging _somewhat_ in development and that black has compensation and plenty of it too.For a start, which square will you put your queen on? Rooks and queens and stuff are soon coming to e-files and g-files....
Aulero: Ok, White's development is late and it must be very carefully. I should admit one point to Black's favour, White started with a sacrifice in order to mate and now is up in material but it must defend! I don't know which is the best square for Queen: impulsively I would play Qe2 trying to follow with d3, Be3, Nc3, 0-0-0 ... yes, I know, Black will not watch passively, but it is hard to foresight all possibledevelopments.

Cyphelium: On 13.Qe2 I thought 13...Qg8 would be a good answer. (pawn g2 hanging, Re8 coming etc) But as you say, it's very complicated. In a rapid game, I might well go for your 4.Bxf7+. In a long game I'd prefer 4. Nxd4

Aulero: 12.Nxd8 Nxd8 - White is not worse.
Cyphelium: 11...Nf4 12.Qg5 Qe7+
Cyphelium: 8...hxg6 9.Qxh8 Nxc2+ and black will end up with a piece for two pawns.

Admit it, readers: you skipped a bit of that discussion to get here, didn't you? Me, too, as it turns out...

4.Bxf7+ 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6

The alternative leads to mate: 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4+ Kc5 9.Qd5+ Kb4 10.a3+ Ka4 11.Qa5 checkmate

7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Qxh8

Here's another good reason not to play the Blackburne Shilling Gambit against me: I don't know enough about my favorite lines to stay out of trouble. Instead of grabbing the Rook White should play 8.Qxg6+ and then capture the Black Knight: 8...Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ Kf7 11.Qxd4 with a slight disadvantage (four pawns for a piece) that should be comfortable for any Jerome Gambiteer.

8...Nh6


Phew! Good luck is better than a license to steal...

After 8...Nxc2+ the position is a mess, especially following 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qg5. Even if White captures the Knight at a1, it will cost him a couple of pawns and Black is liable to maintain an edge.

9.Qxd4 Qg5 10.0-0 Bc5 11.Qh8+ Ke7 12.d4 Black resigns




graphic by Jeff Bucchino, the Wizard of Draws