BSG: Later on in the Discussion

Last year I presented part of an old discussion about the Blackburne Shilling Gambit and 4.Bxf7+ at ChessGames.com. A year later the discussion continued. Here are relevant parts, with my comments.

Helmut Wieteck - Klaus Dutschke

Lahnstein, 1999

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Qf6 8.Nxh8+ Ke7 9.d3 Bh6 10.Na3 Bxc1 11.Rxc1 Qxh8 12.Qc5+ Ke8 13.Qxc7 Nf3+ 14.gxf3 Qxb2 15.Kd2 Qxa3 16.Rhg1 Qxa2 17.Qe5+ Kd8 18.Qh8 Qa5+ 19.c3 Qa2+ 20.Rc2 Qe6 21.Qxg8+ Qxg8 22.Rxg8+ Kc7 23.f4 b6 24.f5 a5 25.f6 Black resigned

TheGreatNN: Is 4.Bxf7! the best way to deal with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit? It looks pretty strong here.

acirce: What happens on 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 instead of 7...Qf6?? Or just 5...Ke7!?

TheGreatNN: I don't think 7...hxg6 is any good because after 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 white will be up material, even if black will have a bit better development (e.g. by 10...Qg5 11.Rg1 d5 12.Qxd5 Bg4+ 13.Ke1 Qxd5 14.exd5 etc.) My computer, however, came up with 5...Ke6! It then continued 6.Nd3!? Nf6 7.o-o d6 8.b4 Kf7 9.Bb2 Ne6 and it doesn't appear white has good compensation for his sacrifice. (Arasan 3.5, 9 ply.) But ...Ke6 looks like it's just welcoming disaster, so I don't know what to think.

acirce: Actually, he will be down material! After the line you give I feel that White is pretty much just lost. Better looks 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4 and White has 4 pawns for a bishop but has only developed his queen.

5...Ke6 just has to be unsound but maybe 5...Ke7 is simple and working. At least this is not what you're looking for as White generally speaking.

Cyphelium: We were actually discussing this variation more than a year ago, at this thread:

Muhlock vs B Kostic, 1912

I think we agreed on that 4. Bxf7+ is not convincing. The analysis lead to unclear positions were white often had to defend. One amusing line we finally arrived at was 4... Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 d5!? 10.exd5 Bd6 11.Nf7 Kxf7 12.dxe6+ Bxe6 13.Qe2 Qg8 and black seems to have compensation?! Also, the 4...Ke7!? move was mentioned as playable. The conclusion is, I think, that 4.Bxf7+ is likely to lead to messy and unclear positions...

acirce: Without having looked closely at those concrete lines I think I agree... I do think that 7...hxg6 is better than 7...Nf6 though, if White does sac. In the line given in my previous post it is Black who ends up with the compensation for the material.

Cyphelium: Yes, that 7...hxg6 line is another nail in the coffin for 4.Bxf7+. It might be the best...

Seraphina: Actually Ke6 is rather sound, because white is so underdeveloped. I have actually faced it in friendlies (that says it all). The psychological impact is rough though. You feel denuded, exposed, gaaaa... and the opponent feels overconfident (huga huga). In the other variation you give: 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 feels safe, but did you look at 10...Ke8 another K move but: it allows faster development for black 11.QxN d5! Black has a piece for four pawns and must now attack hard and fast before white can get organized. This is a game for bluffers. A lot of fun...

Granite: Bxf7+ seems to give good compensation for the piece. You get two central pawns and the black king is also trapped in the center. Moreso, you gain some time in development. So that's 2 pawns, a loose centralized king, and a gain of time for a piece - I'd say it's probably strong enough to be playable.

Rick: The "best" response to 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 has to be either 4.0-0, 4.Nxd4, 4.d3, 4.Nc3 or 4.c3.

4.Bxf7+!? is shocking & unexpected and can lead to exciting and/or unclear play which will favor the better-prepared combatant. The updated New Year's Database has 2,676 games with this move. White scored 56% (only 2% of the games were draws).

After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Black has two popular defenses, 5...Ke8 and 5...Ke6, and two lesser-played defenses, 5...Ke7 and 5...Kf6.

Seen most often is 5...Ke8, and after 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6, best play for both sides is 7...hxg6 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+, when Black can go for the draw-by-repetition with 9...Ke8; or go for an unbalanced (but largely equal) position as acirce suggested above with 9...Nf6 10.Qc5+ d6 11.Qxd4 when White has four pawns for a piece and it is unclear if Black has an open King or open lines for development.

Seraphina's suggestion of 10...Ke8 (followed by 11...d5) instead of 10...d6 is a thoughtful one and a likely improvement, but the battle of piece vs 4 pawns remains contentious.

The problem with Cyphelium's suggested line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6 8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 d5!? 10.exd5 Bd6 is that White can play 11.Qe2!? instead of 11.Nf7, with advantage – although the line that he gives, 11.Nf7 Kxf7 12.dxe6+ Bxe6 13.Qe2 Qg8 may be better for White, anyhow, as he is the exchange and three pawns ahead.

Risky, but not necessarily "unsound", 5...Ke6 provokes feelings wonderfully described by Seraphina. In 667 games in the Database, White scores 50% (again, draws make up only 2% of the games). Best seems to be 6.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Ke6 and Black's King runs for cover as White develops his pieces, with roughly an equal game.

After 5...Ke7 (330 games in the Database, White scores 47%, draws are 4%) I think White does best again with 6.c3, and after 6...d6 7.cxd4 dxe5 8.dxe5 Qd3!? the game is unclear, but likely balanced.

Finally, I think 5...Kf6 (78 games in the Database, White scores 60%, draws are 1%) should be met by 6.Nf3, again with an even game.

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