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
The following game is a mess. White makes mistakes (more than usual). Black makes mistakes (plenty enough to lose). Quickly.
Because, to be fair: in a 1-minute (no increment) game, advantages often shift back and forth, until someone wins, or time runs out.
Also, the game is a Jerome Gambit variant, and we know that the Jerome is an oft-refuted line of play. White purposefully gets himself a worse game - and then, often wins. So, maybe things are not so surprising, after all.
angelcamina - eloali
1 0 bullet, lichess.org
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4
The Blackburne Shilling Gambit. It can work as a surprise, eating up response time, containing tactics that impact on the clock.
4.Bxf7+
The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. White has his own tactical surprise.
4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke8
At first glance, this looks safest. As angelcamina knows from earlier experience, however, this move allows the action to focus on the Black King.
6.Qh5+ g6 7.Nxg6 Nxc2+
White's opening continues to cast its spell. This counter-grab of a Rook is always tempting, but, here, it should only lead to an even game, or maybe and edge for White. The correct move was 7...hxg6.
8.Kd1 Nxa1 9.Nxh8+ Ke7
10.Qf7+
The game wouldn't be nearly as interesting after 10.Qe5#, but it would be over.
10...Kd6 11.d4
Highly unusual. angelcamina now misses 11.Qd5+ Ke7 12.Qe5#. It is not safe for Black to keep dancing on the edge of the abyss, however - after the text, White is still better.
11...Kc6 12.Qd5+ Kb6 13.Nc3 c6
14.Qb3+ Kc7
Okay, a couple of "Think Quick!" surprises, there.
15.Bf4+ d6 16.Qf7+ Ne7 17.e5 d5
White has two pawns for a piece in this strange position - and his King is safer.
18.e6+ Kb6 19.Na4+ Ka5 20.b3 b5 21.Bd2+ Ka6 22.Nc5+ Kb6 23.Qf4 Ng6
24.Qe3
Saving the Queen this time, but hanging the Knight. Time had to be a factor.
24...Nxh8 25.Qc3 Bxc5
Falling in with White's plans - it is surprising how often defenders "believe" in their opponents' attacks. Best defense was to return the Knight with 25...Nxb3 26.axb3 a5, with advantage (but that is easiest to see after the game).
26.Qa5+ Kb7 27.Qxd8 Bb6 28.Qe7+ Ka6 29.Qxh7 Bb7
30.e7 Black resigned
