But Blackburne Made It Look So Easy!

The most famous Jerome Gambit game is the one by Blackburne, where he sacrificed material as Black to build a counter attack that led to a Queen sacrifice and checkmate.

Never mind that subsequent analysis and play has shown that, "objectively", the best Black should be able to hope for is a draw.

The fact is, the Blackburne Defense leads to sharp and complicated play, and it is important to have a concrete knowledge of the line - if either Black or White wishes to survive. As we have seen, and will see in the game below, "half a defense is worse than no defense at all..." Better to "Commit It To Memory".

fehim - KramMan
blitz, FICS, 2015

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5
d6

Here we go! To capture the excitement of the play ahead, it is fun to return to Geoff Chandler's comparison of the Blackburne Defense with "Mars Attacks!"

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.O-O Qxe4

Wait a minute... Sure, Black flashes out his Queen to h4, all big and bad and scary. But - then what? Certainly not to pawn-grab. What did he miss? What did he miss??

Hint: 9...Nf6! Black wants to trap White's Queen and make threats against her (as well as the King), eventually offering his other Rook as well.

10.Qxh7+

This is not going to go well for Black.

10.d3 worked in AlgozBR - khuizen, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 17)

10...Kf8 11.Nc3

Or 11.d3 Qe2 (or 11...Qf5 in obviously - dmyze, GameKnot.com, 2004 [1-0, 20]; or 11...Qe6 in ubluk - bfcace, Chess.com, 2012 [1-0, 18]) 12.Bh6+ Nxh6 13.Qxh6+ Kf7 14.Qh7+ Kf6 15.Qxc7 Bf5 16.Nc3 Qxc2 17.Nd5+ Kg5 18.Qe7+ Kh6 19.h4 Rh8 20.Qg5+ Kg7 21.Rae1 Rf8 22.h5 Bxd3 23.h6+ Kg8 24.Nf6+ Kf7 25.Nh7 Kg8 26.Nxf8 Bxf1 27.Rxf1 Bxf2+ 28.Rxf2 Qc1+ 29.Qxc1 Black resigned, ZahariSokolov - pedroregistro, FICS, 2015

11...Qf5

Or 11...Qxc2 12.Qh4 Black resigned, perrypawnpusher - LtPoultry, blitz, FICS, 2010; or 12.d3 Qxd3 13.Bh6+ Ke8 14.Rfe1+ Kd8 15.Qxg8+ Kd7 16.Qe8 checkmate, DREWBEAR 63 - blackburne, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009.

12.d3 Nf6 13.Qh4

This move is okay, as White is up the exchange plus a couple of pawns, so he can consolidate. He could continue his attack, however, with 13.Bh6+ Ke8 14.Rae1+ Be6 15.Qg7.

13...Kg7 14.Be3 Be6 15. Bxc5 dxc5 16. Ne4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 Qf6

The next few moves bring some excitement, but the game is pretty much over. Black's slip at move 23 just ends things

18.c3 Rh8 19.f4 c6 20.c4 Qh4 21.Qxe6 Qxh2+ 22.Kf2 Qxf4+ 23.Ke2 Qg4+ 24.Qxg4 Black resigned

Commit It To Memory

At the end of last month I posted the famous Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4Bxf7+) game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885, which had been published in The Newcastle Courant of Saturday, December 3, 1898, with the admonition that Students would do well to commit it to memory, as strong players have a peculiarity of springing the opening upon the unwary.


"Students" who have not chosen to "commit it to memory" but who have, instead, relied on retaining a general idea of Blackburne's plan, have repeatedly learned, however, that often "half a defense is worse than no defense at all."

The newest example is from the ongoing "Play The Jerome Gambit Quad" at Chess.com.

ubluk (1864) - bfcace (1572)
Play The Jerome Gambit Quad
Chess.com, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 7.Qxe5 d6

Black's "generous" counter-offer of material.

8.Qxh8 Qh4 9.0-0 Qxe4

A key move in Blackburne's Defense is 9...Nf6, working on trapping White's Queen. If she escapes, as in this game, Black will regret his counter-sacrifice of a Rook.

10.Qxh7+

Or 10.d3 Qe5 11.Qxh7+ as in AlgozBR - khuizen, FICS, 2009 (1-0,17)

10...Kf8 11.d3

A bit better than 11.Nc3 as in perrypawnpusher - LtPoultry, blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 12) and DREWBEAR 63 - blackburne, Jerome Gambit Thematic, ChessWorld, 2009 (1-0, 16).

11...Qe6

Previously seen was 11...Qf5 in obviously - dmyze, GameKnot.com, 2004 (1-0, 20).

12.Qxc7 Bb6 13.Qc3 Nf6

Black is down three pawns and the exchange (plus an unsafe King). This should tell as soon as White completes his development.

14.Bh6+ Kf7 15.Nd2 Bd7 16.Rae1 Qf5 17.Ne4 Rh8 18.Nxd6+

A final slip. Black resigned

Blackburned! #2

My heart pounds when I start a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game.

It's always a gamble – the Jerome Gamble, Gary Gifford calls it – how much of the many refutations does my opponent know?

Can he get to me before I can get to him??

perrypawnpusher - LtPoultry
blitz 10 0, FICS, 1020

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+

Our story begins...

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6

This can lead to the dreaded Whistler Defense, or the much misunderstood Blackburne Defense. Quo vadis?

7.Qxe5 d6

Blackburne! Sac that Rook! Trap that Queen! Mate that King!

8.Qxh8

Falling for the Blackburne bait.

8...Qh4

Yes!

9.O-O

Telegraphing where the King will be, when Black wants to attack.

I've always been a bit uneasy about the "refutation of the refutation" 9.d4.

9...Qxe4

Uh oh... This doesn't look right.

Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1885 continued 9...Nf6, trapping the White Queen, before a series of sacrifices finished White off 10.c3 Ng4 11.h3 Bxf2+ 12.Kh1 Bf5 13.Qxa8 Qxh3+ 14.gxh3 Bxe4 checkmate.

Of course, I would have veered off with 10.Qd8.

10.Qxh7+

Letting my Queen escape immediately.

Instead, AlgozBR - khuizen, blitz FICS, 2009 continued: 10.d3 Qe5 11.Qxh7+ Qg7 12.Qh4 Be6 13.Nc3 Re8 14.Ne4 Bb6 15.Be3 Qxb2 16.Qh7+ Qg7 17.Ng5+ Black resigned

10...Kf8 11.Nc3

A bit better was 11.d3, as in obviously - dmyze, GameKnot.com, 2004: Qf5 12.Qxc7 Nf6 13.d4 Be6 14.dxc5 Bc4 15.Bh6+ Ke8 16.Re1+ Ne4 17.Nc3 Qxf2+ 18.Kh1 Qf7 19.Rxe4+ Be6 20.Qxd6 Black resigned.

11...Qxc2 12.Qh4  Black resigned

White's Queen is not trapped, Black's King is at risk, and White is ahead the exchange and a couple of pawns. 

It was not completely necessary to resign here. DREWBEAR 63 - blackburne, JGTourney4, ChessWorld, 2009 continued a few more moves, for example – after 12.d3 instead of 12.Qh4 – without changing the outcome: 13.Bh6+ Ke8 14.Rfe1+ Kd8 15.Qxg8+ Kd7 16.Qe8 checkmate