Sometimes you can meet an expected offbeat opening (e.g. the Jerome Gambit) with another offbeat opening (e.g. the Blackburne Shilling Gambit) and morph into an offbeat line (e.g. the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit) - all of which can be rationally calculated, if the clock allows you.
Alas, for Black, in the following game, that does not happen.
angelcamina - shahramkhoshseffat
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. According to The Database, angelcamina is 9-0 with this line in bullet chess.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+
6...g6
Otherwise, White can checkmate, e.g. 6...Ke7 7.Qf7+ Kd6 8.Nc4+ Kc6 9.Qd5 checkmate, angelcamina - umutkaraca09, lichess.org, 2019.
7.Nxg6 hxg6
The alternative, 7...Nxc2+, should only lead to an even game, although angelcamina wrestled a win, e.g. 8.Kd1 Nxa1? 9.Nxh8+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ [10.Qe5#] Kd6 11.d4 [11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qe5#] 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.
Likewise, 7...Nf6 led to trouble, 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.
And 7...Qf6 fared no better, e.g. 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
Not 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.
Now was the time for 8...Nxc2+, with advantage to Black. In the BSJG it can be hard to tell if the Rook on a1 is poisoned or not.
9.Kd1 d5 10.e5
This is a slip, and in bullet games with a time control of one minute, no increment, they can be expected. Black now also misses the fact that 10...Ne4 would be crushing.
10...Nd7 11.c3 Nc6
12.e6 Nf6 13.Re1 Qe7 14.d3 b6
It would have been okay to grab the pawn with 14...Bxe6, but that would have taken some thinking time, and bullet games are notoriously short of that. Now White closes in.
15.Bg5 Bb7 16.Bxf6 Qd6 17.e7
Those pesky "Jerome pawns"!
17...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
White is on familiar ground in the following game, and he seems quite prepared when his opponent improves on earlier defenses White has faced. Alas, for Black, he needed to continue improving, in order to win the game; and there doesn't seem to have been time for that.
angelcamina - aldiardiansyah
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
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
Instead, 6...Ke7 was punished quickly in angelcamina - umutkaraca09, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019, (1-0, 9).
7.Nxg6 hxg6
An improvement over:
7...Nf6 in angelcamina - Skhokho1507, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019, (1-0, 19);
7...Qf6 in angelcamina - felix_paton, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019, (1-0, 12); and
7...Nxc2+ in angelcamina - eloali, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019, (1-0, 30).
8.Qxh8 Ke7
A mistake, and a losing one. At first, it looks like a mouse slip for 8...Kf7, although White would then be better after 9.Qxd4.
Black had to accept the Rook sacrifice with 8...Nxc2+ followed by 9...Nxa1, but there are times in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit when that is wise, and there are times when that is not very wise; in a 1-minute game, it can be hard to know which case this is.
Now White collects the Knight a d4, castles, and is a comfortable exchange and 3 pawns up.
9.Qxd4 Ke8 10.O-O Be7
11.f4
Cold-hearted was 11.Qg7!?, but the text fits into White's plan.
11...Nf6 12.e5 Ng4 13.f5 b6
Drops another piece, but nothing works.
14.Qxg4 gxf5 15.Qg6+ Kf8 16.Rxf5+ Bf6 17.Rxf6+ Ke7 18.Rf7+ Ke8 19.Qg8 checkmate
In the following bullet game - one minute, no increment time control - White throws threat after threat against Black, knowing that they all can not be stopped.
This is a game that reminds me of a friend's complaint: I was winning, right up until the time you checkmated me. Ouch.
angelcamina - rabirabi
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
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
angelcamina has also seen the alternative 5...Ke8: angelcamina - umutkaraca09, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 9); angelcamina - felix_paton, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 12); angelcamina - Skhokho1507, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 19).
6.Qh5
This move is scary, but not if you think about it. Of course, in a 1-minute game, who can do that?
6...Nf6
The weaker (but still okay) alternative, 6...Qf6, did not work for long in angelcamina - Skhokho1507, lichess.org, 2019 (1-0, 12)
7.Qf7+
Another scary Queen move. Black had to be thinking: Can he really do that? Sitting poolside with a cold drink, we can all answer that question, but - with the clock ticking? Anyhow, Black grabs another offered piece.
7...Kxe5 8.f4+
8...Kxe4 9.Nc3+ Kf5
Wisely avoiding 9...Kxf4? 10.0-0+! as 10...Ke5 (others lead to checkmate) 11.Rxf6! will lead to the recovery of the sacrificed material (or checkmate).
10.h3
This almost looks like a gotta-make-a-quick-move bullet style move, and it encourages Black to go after a poisoned Rook. Instead, the second player should initiate the exchange of Queens with 10...Qe7+, pretty much safe-guarding his game.
10...Nxc2+
White now has a checkmate in 14 moves, starting with 11.Kf2.
11.Kd1
This gives White the advantage, too.
11...Ne3+
Deciding that the Rook is not worth it, but it is too late.
12.dxe3 d5 13.g4 checkmate
How many strong ideas can you come up with, at a minute a move? How about at a minute a game?
Again, angelcamina thrives in such an environment. He has met this opponent before.
angelcamina - Skhokho1507
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. I suspect it kills at bullet time control.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. White wishes to be the aggressor.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nf6
The position has gotten quite wild, but it is focused upon the Black King, which is the right idea in quick chess. Black's move looks inspired, but it is actually not as strong as 7...hxg6, which presents White with some difficulties after 8.Qxh8?! (8.Qxg6+ would be best)
8.Qe5+ Ne6 9.Nxh8 Bg7 10.Qf5 Bxh8
White has a Rook and three pawns for two pieces, but the game will not be decided by mere material.
11.e5 Nd5 12.Qxh7 Bxe5
13.Qg8+
The greedy 13.Qh5+ Kf8 14.Qxe5 was stronger, not just because it grabs a piece, but because it also reduces the defenders who want to counter White's Queen. But - Her Majesty has a one-track mind.
13...Nf8
You have to wonder what White would do after 13...Ke7 14.Qxd8+ (what else?) Kxd8. I imagine angelcamina would go with the direct 15.h4!?, but who knows?
14.f4
How does that song go? Kick 'em when they're up. Kick 'em when they're down... Surely, the piece grab, this time 14.Qxd5, would lead to a win, eventually, but White is not playing for the "eventually".
14...Nxf4 15.O-O
Of course. A bullet move if I ever saw one.
15...Ne2+ 16.Kh1 Qe7 17.d4
17...Bxd4
The computer recommends 17...Bxh2 18.Rxf8+ Qxf8 19.Qxf8+ Kxf8 20.Kxh2 Nxd4 when the game is mostly balanced.
18.Bg5
This move provides more heat and more pressure as Black's clock winds down. In a longer game, White would have found the thematic 18.Bh6.
18...Ng3+
Thinking of an escape line that will never come. Instead, 18...Qg7 would extinguish White's attack - But Black does not have the time.
19.hxg3
White won on time.
Bullet chess - games played at a 1 minute, no increment, time control - warps reality. It is a challenge to the minds and nerves of those who play it. It doesn't always make sense.
What to make of the following game? Black is "winning", right up to the point when he is checkmated by his lower-rated opponent.
angelcamina - Skhokho1507
1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2019
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 6.Qh5
White's strongest move here is 6.c3, but any Queen move has to be scary for Black, and takes up thinking time to figure out how to deal with it.
6...Qf6 7.Qe8+ Be7 8.Qh5
I don't know if White has achieved anything on the board with his Queen moves, but I am sure that he has made progress on his opponent's clock.
Now Black goes after more material - which is fine, as long as he is careful.
8...Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.f4 Qxf4 11.Nd3
11...Qf6 12.Qd5 checkmate
*Ouch*
