Mate is Mate, Mate

Sometimes it is a good idea to be familiar with a line that leads to checkmate. You never know when it might show up on the board.


doubleabood - forland
blitz. FICS, 2014

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Qg5 

Black continues as if nothing has happened (6...Kxe5 is best), playing the thematic move of the Blackburne Shilling Gambit. As I've pointed out previously, with more and more insistance, (see "Reeling Sequel", "Finishing It Off Smartly", "Still A Bad Idea" and "Calling Black's Bluff"), White should take heart and proceed with his game - Black is headed toward his own checkmate.

Admittedly, not every player of the White pieces has been aware of his or her good fortune. Of the 50 games with this position in The Database, for example, White scored only 59%. 

7.cxd4 Qxg2 

Black strikes! Well, sort of. With 35 games in The Database, White scored 61%.

8.Qb3+ 

The key! Checkmate is forced.

White won in 7 of 9 games with this position in The Database (78%) but his two losses were time forfeits in winning positions.

That's better.

8...Kf6

Or
8...Ke7 9.Qf7+ Kd6 10.Qd5+ [10.Nc4+ Kc6 11.Qd5 checkmate, jfhumphrey - jordibc, FICS, 2011] 10...Ke7 11.Qf7+ Kd6 12.Nc4+ Black resigned, ScottWeatherill- Hanjh, FICS, 2013;

8...d5 9.exd5+ [9.Qxd5+ Kf6 10.Qf7+ Kg5 11.h4+ Kh6 12.d3+ g5 13.hxg5#] Ke7 10.Qf3 Qxf3 11.Nxf3 Nf6 12.Nc3 Bg4 13.Ne5 Re8 14.f3 Bh5 15.Kf2 Kd6 16.d3 Nxd5 17.Nb5+ Ke7 18.Bg5+ Nf6 19.Rhe1 c6 20.Nxc6+ Kf7 21.Rxe8 Nxe8 22.Ncxa7 Bb4 23.a3 Ba5 24.b4 Bb6 25.Rc1 Bxa7 26.Nxa7 Nd6 27.Rc7+ Kg6 28.Bf4 Nf5 29.Rxb7 Rf8 30.Rb6+ Kf7 31.d5 Nd4 32.d6 Kg8 33.d7 Bxf3 34.Rb8 Ne6 35.Rxf8+ Kxf8 36.Kxf3 Ke7 37.Bg3 Kxd7 White forfeited on time, ReallyBadPlayer - skipi, FICS, 2006;

8...Kd6 9.Qd5+ Ke7 10.Qf7+ Kd6 11.Nc4+ Kc6 12.Qd5 checkmate, XprezzChezz - borodin, FICS, 2009. 

9.Qf7+ Kg5 10.d3+ Kh4 11.Nf3+ 

Or 11.Qf4+ Kh3 12.Qg3+ Qxg3 13.hxg3+ Kg2 14.Rf1 Bb4+ 15.Ke2 d6 16.Nf7 Be6 17.Ng5 Bd7 18.Nc3 Nf6 19.Bd2 h6 20.Rh1 Bg4+ 21.Ke3 Nd5+ 22.exd5 Rae8+ 23.Kf4 Rhf8+ 24.Kxg4 h5+ 25.Kxh5 Kxf2 White forfeited on time, MATCHAPULANE - gregchess, FICS, 2012. 

11...Kh3 

Or 11...Kg4 12.Qf5 checkmate, DVYate - transalcolico, standard, FICS, 2013 and Oak - sealse, blitz, FICS, 2013.

12.Qh5 checkmate.

This is also how GOH - boggus, blitz, FICS, 2011 ended

Still A Bad Idea

One benefit of Jerome-izing the Blackburne Shilling Gambit is that the game becomes transformed, and ideas that were playable in the original opening become sketchy in the "modified" version. That was true when we looked at the opening variation in the following game, four years ago, and it remains true today.

Oak  - sealse
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 Qg5

A thematic move for the plain Blackburne Shilling Gambit, as covered in "Reeling Sequel", but not as strong here as taking the Knight.

7.cxd4 Qxg2 

Still leading to mate. It is worth knowing these things.

8.Qb3+ Kf6

Black holds out a move longer with 8...d5, i.e. 9.Qxd5+ Kf6 10.Qf7+ Kg5 11.h4+ Kh6 12.d3+ g5 13.hxg5# 

9.Qf7+ Kg5 10.d3+

Or 10.h4+ Kh6 11.d3+ g5 12.hxg5#

10...Kh4 11.Nf3+ Kg4

Black holds out longest, not that it means a lot, with 11...Qxf3 12.Qxf3 Bb4+ 13.Kf1 Be7 14.Qg3+ Kh5 15.Qh3+ Bh4 16.Qf3+ Kg6 17.Qf5#

 12.Qf5 checkmate