When a defender plays the Blackburne Shilling gambit he or she is alreading taking on a certain level of risk. When White responds with the "Jerome treatment", this riskiness increases. When Black's King goes wandering in search of winning material, he must know when to turn back, or the level of risk becomes fatal.
rrjuly - aLmaLja
blitz, FICS, 2013
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.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4
More prudent Kings have tip-toed away with 7...Ke6.
8.d3 Bb4+
Instead, 8...Ke5 is the safest way to go, although White still keeps the pressure on with 9.Qh5+, perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0,27).
9.Nc3 c6
Again, heading toward home with 9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3+ Ke5 is the most prudent course (beware of 10...Kxc3 11.Qb3+ Kd4 12.Qd5+ Kc3 13.Qc4#) although again, White is better with 11.Qh5+, perrypawnpusher - AdamRou, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 28).
10.Bf4
Even stronger was 10.Qh5 Nf6 11.Be3+ Kxd3 12.Qe2# Wall,B - apollyon2010, Chess.com, 2010.
10...Bxc3+ 11.bxc3+
11...Kxc3
At this point 11...Kc5 12.Qa4 Qa5 13.Qxa5+ b5 14.Bc7 d6 15.Qb4 checkmate, is not much of an alternative.
12.Qb3+ Kd4 13.Qc4 checkmate
Following "Checking Back", it is time to use a recent Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit game to look at one of its more exciting variations.
pigsfeet - jantonacci
blitz, FICS, 2011
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.c3 Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4
Black's King has gone far afield to grab extra material. Why did he do that? Some chess players see the board as an all-you-can-eat buffet, and chow down on everything. Others might compare development, White vs Black, and as the first player has no pieces developed compared to the second player's one (the King) what appears to be the problem?
Safer was heading for home with 7...Ke6 as in richiehill - RVLY, FICS, 2009 (1-0,24).
8.d3
This is the recommended move, although White has also played 8.b3 (8.b4 is a variant) in jonyfin - jantonacci, FICS, 2009 (0-1, 16).
For 8.Nc3, see perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0,14) and billwall - apollyon2010, Chess.com, 2010 (1-0,12).
DragonTail scored quickly with 8.Qc2 Qg5 9.Qc3+ Kxe4 10.0-0 Bd6 11.d3+ Kf5 12.Bxg5 Kxg5 13.Qxg7+ Black resigned, DragonTail - tcharge, FICS, 2009.
8.Qa4+ is an interesting idea which will be covered in a later post.
8...Bb4+
Retreats such as 8...Ke5 in perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 27) and 8...Nf6 9.Be3+ Ke5 from perrypawnpusher - RVLY, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 26) have been seen.
Best for Black seems to be 8...Kc5 with only a slight disadvantage.
9.Nc3
Playable also is 9.Kf1!? or 9.Ke2!? although the text is natural and even allows Black further gluttony, if he wishes.
9...d5
"Luft!" says the Queen.
Also played has been 9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3+ when taking the c-pawn is fatal after 10...Kxc3 11.Qb3+ (The Database does not have any examples, but Edisce - nkm, FICS, 2005 came close with 11.0-0 Qf6 12.Be3 Kb4 13.Rb1+ Ka5 14.Qb3 c5 15.Qa3 checkmate).
perrypawnpusher-AdamRou, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 28) saw 9...Bxc3+ 10.bxc3+ Ke5 11.Qh5+ Ke6.
10.Be3+
Again, a very reasonable move, although White may try to weave a mating net by putting his Queen on b3 and his Bishop on f4. Black might give up his Bishop to buy White off.
10...Ke5 11.Qh5+
The Queen must commit herself, as the enemy monarch is making his escape.
11...Kf6
Rybka 3 recommends 11...Kd6, when, if Black can survive the scary, pawnful middlegame, he can then take a few swipes at White and enter an endgame, down a pawn and the exchange: 12.Qxd5+ Ke7 13.Qg5+ Nf6 14.Qxg7+ Ke6 15.f4 Rg8 16.f5+ Kd6 17.Qf7 Bxc3+ 18.bxc3 b6 19.Bd4 Kc6 20.Qc4+ Kb7 21.Bxf6 Qxf6 22.Qxg8 Qxc3+ 23.Ke2 Qc2+ 24.Ke3 Qc5+ 25.Kf3 Bxf5 26.Qc4 Qxc4 27.dxc4 Be6.
analysis diagram
In the game, Black gives up his Queen, and then his King.
12.Bg5+ Ke6 13.Bxd8 d4 14.Qd5 checkmate
This game features a battle between a counter-gambit and a gambit response, in lines where frequently one side relies on the advantage of surprise to take its point.
What happens when neither player surprises the other?
perrypawnpusher - RVLY
blitz, FICS, 2010
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. Some defenders play it because they hope that it will confuse their opponent. Others play it because they know that it will confuse their opponent.
4.Bxf7+
Me? I like to Jerome-ize the opening, offering my own gambit and my own surprise.
RVLY responded quickly to this move, however, so I wasn't too surprised to learn after the game that he has played against it before: he has 35 games with this line in the updated New Year's Database, (not counting this one).
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf6
At this point I began to suspect that someone had been reading this blog... specifically the recent "BSG: Later on in the Discussion" where I mentioned that this rare choice led to an even game. Of course, I did not know at the time that RVLY had played this move in 9 previous games. (Me? None.)
6.c3
I had recommended the retreat 6.Nf3 in the above post, but here I decided instead to offer a transposition to the 5...Ke6 line – which I later learned RVLY had also played, over a dozen times. (Me, five times.)
6...Kxe5 7.cxd4+ Kxd4
I was happy to reach this position, as White has good attacking chances for his sacrificed piece.
Safer was not taking the d-pawn, but preparing a retreat with 7...Ke6 as in richiehill - RVLY, FICS, 2009: 8.Nc3 c6 9.e5 Ne7 10.d3 Kf7 11.Qf3+ Kg8 12.0-0 d5 13.exd6 Qxd6 14.Re1 Qf6 15.Qg3 Qxd4 16.Be3 Qf6 17.Rad1 Nf5 18.Qc7 Qf7 19.Qa5 Nxe3 20.Rxe3 b6 21.Qe5 Bb7 22.Rf3 Qe7 23.Qd4 Qd6?? 24.Qc4+ Black resigned.
8.d3
Best.
White got away with 8.Qh5 c6 9.d3 d5 10.Be3+ Kxd3 11.Qe2+ Kxe4 12.Bg5+ Black resigned in kocanda - RVLY, FICS, 2008.
Also playable: 8.Nc3 Qg5 (8...c6 9.d3 Bb4 10.Qh5 Nf6 11.Be3+ Kxd3 12.Qe2 checkmate, billwall - apollyon2010, Chess.com 2010) 9.0-0 Ke5 10.f4+ Qxf4 11.Rxf4 Kxf4 12.Qf3+ Ke5 13.Qf5+ Kd4 14.Qd5, checkmate, perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009.
8...Nf6
This move is designed to keep White's Queen off of h5 (see richiehill - RVLY, FICS, 2009, above). The value of this is seen in a game where Black chose to evacuate his King first: 8...Ke5 9.Qh5+ Ke6 10.Qf5+ Ke7 11.Bg5+ Nf6 12.e5 Ke8 13.exf6 Kf7 14.fxg7+ Kxg7 15.Bxd8 Kg8 16.Bf6 Bg7 17.Qg5 Kf7 18.Qxg7+ Ke6 19.Qxh8 b6 20.0-0 Bb7 21.Re1+ Kd6 22.Be5+ Kc6 23.Qf6+ d6 24.Na3 Re8 25.Rac1+ Kd7 26.Qf5+ Kd8 27.Bf6+ Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - PunisherABD, blitz, FICS, 2009.
After Black's move there are still ways to attack his King – I just didn't remember any of them.
9.Be3+
Right piece, wrong square.
With 9.Bf4, White has cut off escape to the Kingside, and Black has to tread warily.
After the game Rybka recommended 9...Bb4+ 10.Nd2 Kc5 11.Qb3 a5 12.Rc1+ Kb6 13.a3 Ka7 14.axb4 d6 15.0-0 Kb8 when White has recovered his piece, and Black's King has bizarrely castled-by-hand on the Queenside; although White is better.
9...Kc5 is not an improvement, e.g. 10.Nc3 b5 11.Qb3 a612.Nd5 Nxd5 13.Qxd5+ Kb6 14.Qxa8 when White is better.
Still, the position is quite messy, and confusion often favors the attacker.
9...Ke5 10.f4+ Ke6 11.Nc3 d6 12.0-0
Wisely giving up on finding a "forced win," hoping that better development and Black's uneasy King will be worth the sacrificed piece after all.
12...g6
Keeping White's Queen off of h5, should he evict the Black Knight with e4-e5. Still, the strategic retreat 12...Kf7 was safer.
13.e5 Ne8 14.Qg4+ Kf7 15.f5 Kg7
16.f6+
This is not right, and hands Black the advantage.
After the game Fritz 8 suggested the very understandable 16.Bg5 Be7 17.Bxe7 Qxe7 18.f6+ Nxf6 19.exf6+ Qxf6 with an edge to White.
Rybka preferred the quiet, but perhaps more powerful 16.e6 Nf6 17.Bd4 c5 18.Bxf6+ Qxf6 19.Ne4 h5 20.Qg3 Qd4+ 21.Kh1 Rh6 when White's f-pawn finally advances with 22.f6+.
You can see that the position was still complicated.
16...Kf7 17.Qc4+
I was floundering here – for example, Black's natural response to this check caught me by surprise...
17...Be6 18.Qf4 dxe5 19.Qxe5 Bd6
20.Qb5 b6 21.Ne4 Qd7
Necessary was 21...h6
22.Ng5+ Kf8 23.Nxe6+ Qxe6 24.Bh6+
This impatient move doesn't lead to much. White would have a clear advantage after 24.Rae1.
24...Kf7 25.Rae1 Qc8
Surrendering.
I had expected 25...c6, which I was going to answer with 26.Qg5. Black could not then afford to capture the a-pawn with 26...Qxa2, as this move would well-answered by 27.Qe3. The Bishop check 26...Bc5+ would be met with 27.d4!?, as 27...Bxd4+ would draw the piece away from its protection of the e7 square.
Best for Black was 25...c6 26.Qg5 Qd5 in an unclear position where White probably has an edge.
26.Qd5+ Black resigned
In a recent Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, Bill Wall and his opponent headed for a topical position evaluated as roughly even. Bill then showed that there was still a lot of danger in the position.
