I was looking at some recent games played at lichess.org, and recognized the name Darrenshome. I should - he has over 400 games in The Database, played at FICS, starting in 2005. It turns out that Darrenshome has also played almost 6,000 games, total, at lichess.org. I don't have a way to easily check his work there for Jerome Gambit and related games, but I wanted to share the following. Darrenshome - sanuch111 3 2 blitz, lichess.org, 2016 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nd4 The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. 4.Bxf7+
Not the best choice. Instead, 12.Rg1 was more what he was looking for. Now it takes a bit more battling to pull ahead. 12...Bd7 13.d3 hxg5 14.Bxg5 Be7 15.Be3 a6 16.f4 Rh3 17.Kd2 Be6 18.f5 Bf7 19.Rag1 Kf8 20.e5 dxe5 21.dxe5 Be8 22.Nd5 Bc6 23.Nxc7 Rc8 24.Ne6+ Kf7
Missing some tactics. Perhaps he was overly focused on the Rook at h1. 25.Rxg7+ Ke8 26.Rxg8+ Kd7 27.Rxc8 Kxc8 28.Rg1 Rxh2+ 29.Kc3 Kb8 30.f6 Bd8 31.Nxd8 Black resigned
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. If you play the BSG at FICS (Free Internet Chess Server), sooner or later you will encounter the BSJG. Before this game, according to The Database, ZekeTheWolf had met it 24 times, winning 10. That's scoring 40%, not quite the score of Black as a whole for the BSJG in 4,272 games in The Database - 44%, 4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke7 Our earlier game continued very differently - 5...Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nxc2+perrypawnpusher, ZekeTheWolf, blitz, FICS, 2010, (1-0, 30). 6.c3 I tried 6.Qh5?! once, but it did not turn out well in perrypawnpusher - vlas, blitz, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 26). 6...Ne67.d4
Here we have a bit of a "free form" position, where Black's one weakness is the placement of his King. His extra piece for two pawns gives him an edge, but he has to put together a plan and execute it before he can think about gathering in the point. 7...d6 8.Nd3 g6 9.f4 Ke8 10.O-O Bg7
Here White would probably do best to patiently continue his development with 11.Be3 and 12.Nd2. 11.f5 gxf5 By voluntarily opening the e8-h5 diagonal, Black, makes his King's life more difficult. After the game, Houdini suggested the curious 11...Ng5!?, with pressure on White's e-pawn, as a way to keep the game in balance. 12.exf5 Okay, but 12.Qh5+ Kd7 13.d5 would have really shaken things up. Black now decides it is time to give a piece back. 12...Nxd4 13.cxd4 Bxd4+ 14.Kh1 Nf6
There is a hole in this line that both ZekeTheWolf and I overlooked, which would have made 14...Qf6 the better move. 15.Nc3 Again, okay, but missing the fork 15.Qa4+. 15...Rg8 16.Re1+ Ditto. 16... Kf7 17.Qf3 Bxc3 18.bxc3
If White has an advantage any more, it is in his better development and safer King. Unfortunately, Black now follows a defensive maxim (to diffuse an attack, exchange pieces) that immediately shifts things back toward the first player. 18...Re8 19.Bg5 Rxe1+ 20.Rxe1 Qd7 21.Re6 Ng8 22.Qh5+ Black resigned
Chessfriend Welton Vaz has again generously provided a collection of recent (July 2011) Jerome Gambit (and related) games from the FICS database. One game, in particular, holds a warning for those who would meet the Blackburne Shilling Gambit with 4.Bxf7+!?
albgameiro - Alekingg blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nxc2+
Points of relevance:
1) The Blackburne Shilling Gambit is a fun way to try to bamboozle White with trappy play.
2) The Jerome Gambit treatment of the BSG, 4.Bxf7+, leads to an objectively even game, although White has great practical chances if Black is taken unawares.
3) Black's defense with 5...Ke8 as played in the game, is good, especially if he is happy with a draw; providing that he answers 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 with 7...hxg6. See "Incomplete" for a recent examination.
4) The text move for Black risks little, as long as the second player is aware of all of the consequences, and especially if he avoids the punishment for greed by returning to the ...hxg6 line on his next move (if White plays 8.Kd1).
5) The tactical play is more complex than If-you-take-my-Rook-then-I-will-take-your-Rook, requiring some planning (preferrably before the game).
The difference is that after 8.Kd1, 8...Nxa1 leads to mate (see "The Somnambulists"). White gets a bit of an edge after 8.Kd1 Nf6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxe7 Qxe7 11.Qxe7+ Kxe7 12.Kxc2.
After 8.Kd1 hxg6 9.Qxg6+ Ke7 10.d4 White has threats that Black did not meet in three games in The Database, but 10...Bh6!? seems to hold after 11.Kxc2 or 11.Bg5+, with White's extra pawns balanced by Black's extra piece.
However, in the game, White's King moved away from the marauding Knight.
8...hxg6
Rybka 3 suggests that after 8...Nf6 9.Qe5+ Be7 10.Nxh8 d6 11.Qc3 Nxa1 12.b3 Be6 13.Qxa1 Kd7 14.Qd4 Qxh8 White does not have enough compensation for his missing piece.
The text is a test of White's greed.
9.Qxh8
The players could have arrived at this position through the move order 7...hxg6 8.Qxh8? Nxc2+ 9.Kf1?! When Black, likewise, would be better.
Taking the Black g-pawn with 9.Qxg6+ would have reduced, but not eliminated, Black's advantage, especially if the second player utilized a timely ...Bh6.
9...Nxa1
This is a complicated position, played at blitz speed, so it is not fair to go too hard on either player; but White's a1 Rook wasn't going anywhere, so 9...Kf7 first would have spared Black's King Knight.
10.Qxg8 Qf6
11.e5
The idea here seems to be 11...Qxe5 12.Qxg6+ and a balanced game.
11...Qa6+
Seeking to free his Knight with ...Qxh2, perhaps, but achieving a whole lot more than that.
12.d3
Maybe White, wishing the Knight at a1 dead and gone for so long, thought it had by now departed.
The other day I ran into a big, bad wolf – a higher-rated player who tried to surprise me with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Instead, I surprised him with the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.
perrypawnpusher - ZekeTheWolf blitz, FICS, 2010
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 Nxc2+
Tempting, because it delivers a check, forks White's King and Rook, and generally messes the position up.
Still, 7..hxg6 is better, and after the game Rybka suggested the line: 8.Qxg6+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ Nf6 10.Qc5+ Kf7 11.Qxd4 d5 12.d3 c5 13.Qc3 dxe4 14.dxe4 Qd4 15.Qxd4 cxd4 16.f3 Be6 17.c3
analysis diagram
when Black is slightly better, although someone comfortable with the Jerome Gambit would probably be comfortable with the White pieces.
I was surprised when I checked the updated New Year's Database after the game and saw that my opponent had played this line before: 10.Nc3 c6 11.e5 Qxh8 12.Kxc2 Qg7 13.d3 h6 14.Qh4+ Ke8 15.Qh5+ Ke7 16.Bf4 Qxg2 17.Bg3 d6 18.exd6+ Kd8 19.Rae1 Bd7 20.Qf7 Bxd6 21.Qxg8+ Kc7 22.Qxa8 Bxg3 23.hxg3 Qxf2+ 24.Re2 Qxg3 25.Qxa7 Qf3 26.Qa5+ Kc8 27.Qa8+ Kc7 28.Rxh6 Qxe2+ 29.Nxe2 Black resigned, DragonTail - ZekeTheWolf, FICS 2007
Still, the stronger reply that both DragonTail and I overlooked was 10.Qxh7+ as in 10...Qg7 11.Qh4+ Nf6 12.Kxc2 d6 13.Nc3 Be6 14.Re1 Kd7 15.d4 Be7 16.d5 Rxh8 17.dxe6+ Kc8 18.Qf4 Kb8 19.e5 dxe5 20.Rxe5 Bd6 21.Nb5 Bxe5 22.Qxe5 Qg6+ 23.Kb3 Rc8 24.Bf4 Ka8 25.Nxc7+ Rxc7 26.Qxc7 Qe8 27.Rc1 Qxe6+ 28.Kc2 Qc6+ 29.Kd3 Qxc7 30.Bxc7 a5 31.Bxa5 Ka7 32.b4 Nd5 33.Kd4 Nxb4 34.Bxb4, Black forfeited on time, stemplarv - hitijnar, blitz, FICS, 2008.
10...Qxh8
White is ahead the exchange and two pawns, a winning advantage if he can develop and press his attack, while keeping his own King safe.
Black's last move weakens the b6 square. Perhaps he was preparing to move his Rook without losing his a-pawn. After the game Rybka recommended 20...Be6, instead.
21.g5 Nh5 22.Bb6+
Taking a short break from the Kingside advance to force Black's King to block his Rook.
22...Kc8 23.f5
This pawn sacrifice was not necessary – I could have prepared for this advance with 23.Rhg1 – but the open g-file is useful.
23...Bxg5 24.Rag1 Bf6 25.Qf3 Ng7
26.Rg2 Bd8
To get rid of the annoying Bishop at b6. Rybka's suggestion shows how difficult Black's position is, as White's Rooks infiltrate along the g-file: 26...Qf8 27.Rhg1 Ne8 28.Rg8 Qe7 29.Qe3 a5 30.Bd4 Kc7 31.Bxf6 Qxf6 32.R1g7.
analysis diagram
27.Bxd8 Kxd8 28.Rhg1 Kc7
This slip frees up the Rook, but drops the Knight.
