Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Creativity

I recently ran across an unusual line in the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit that led to some interesting play - no doubt "enhanced" by the blitz time limit. White's creativity is to be applauded.

sahistonline - sriwijaya
5 5 blitz, FICS 2016

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4

Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 

7.f4+

A rare, but interesting idea. Most recommended is 7.cxd4+ leading to an equal game.

7...Kxe4

Not 7...Kxf4 which gave White an immediate payoff after 8.Rf1+ (8.Qh5!?) Ke5 9.cxd4+ Kxd4?! 10.Qa4+ (10.Rf5!?) Ke5 11.d4+ Ke6 12.Qb3+ (12.d5!?) Kd6?! 13.Qd5+ Ke7 Black resigned, drakorg - borodin, FICS, 2002.

Best, as always in this line of the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit, was to retreat the King, e.g. 7...Ke6.

8.d3+

White should not seek to immediately recover his sacrificed material, i.e. 8.cxd4 Kxd4 (8...Kxf4 leads to mate 9.Rf1+ Kg5 10.d3+ Kg6 11.Qg4+ Black resigned, jorgemlfranco - FoldZero, FICS, 2012; 8...d5!?) 9.O-O Bc5 10.Kh1 Qh4 11.Qa4+ Kd5 12.Nc3+ Kd6 13.d4 Bb6 14.Bd2 Nf6 15.Qb4+ Ke6 16.Rae1+ Kf7 17.Qc4+ Kg6 18.f5+ Kh5 19.Ne2 d5 20.Qd3 Ne4 21.Nf4+ Kg4 22.Qf3+ Kxf5 23.Ng6+ Kxg6 24.Qf7 checkmate, richiehill - steadylooking, FICS, 2011.

Best is to lock the enemy King in the center with 8.Qh5.

8...Kd5 9.Qh5+

The King is free. White might as well play 9.cxd4 and accept that he is worse.

But, remember, this is a blitz game!

9...Kc6 10.cxd4 Qe7+ 11.Kf2 Nf6 12.Qf3+ Nd5

In the BSJG, as well as in the Jerome Gambit, Black should always be concerned about blocking in his light-squared Bishop, which in turn blocks his Rook. Best, therefore, was 12...d5!?.

13.Nc3 Qd6 14.Be3 b6 15.Rac1 Kb7 16.Nxd5 c6 17.Nc3 

Black has castled-by-hand on the Queenside.

White's advantage isn't his extra, doubled pawn, it is his great lead in development.

17...g5 18.Rhf1 Be7

Black would have done better to stick with his original idea 18...gxf4 19.Qxf4 Qxf4+ 20.Bxf4 d5 and White has only an edge.

19.Nb5

More direct was opening the position with 19.d5!?

19...Qd5

How ironic: Black erred earlier by putting his Knight on this square, now he is mistaken putting his Queen there. Then as now, ...d5!? was the move with near equality. The locked up pieces will never become part of the game.

20.Qxd5 cxd5 21.fxg5 Rf8+ 22.Kg1 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Bd8

24.Nd6+ Ka6 25.Nxc8 Rxc8 26.Rxc8 Black resigned

A High Level of Danger

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit frequently leads to positions with a high level of danger. 

For example, the Black Knight that has thematically leaped to d4 often goes on to c2, where sometimes it captures the White Rook at a1 with advantage; sometimes it captures the White Rook at a1 causing a disadvantage; and sometimes the White King walks over and captures it before it can get to a1.

Too, there are the lines where Black's King grabs material in the center of the board, then creeps away. Or not. 

jorgemlfranco - FoldZero
blitz, FICS, 2012

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.c3 Kxe5 

7.f4+

Varying from the recommended 7.cxd4+, when Black then does best to head his King homeward with 7...Ke6 with a balanced game.

7...Kxe4

Grabbing material is not as wise as heading the King homeward with 7...Ke6.

An earlier game, featuring 7...Kxf4, illustrated similar dangers, although the play could have been improved in different places 8.Rf1+ (8.0-0+) 8...Ke5 9.cxd4+ Kxd4 (9...Ke6) 10.Qa4+ (10.Rf5) 10...Ke5 11.d4+ Ke6 12.Qb3+ Kd6 (12...d5) 13.Qd5+ Ke7 Black resigned, drakorg - borodin, FICS, 2002.

8.cxd4

Likewise, grabbing material. 

White could keep an edge by focusing on the enemy King, as Rybka suggests: 8.Qh5 Nc2+ 9.Kd1 g5 10.Qf3+ Kf5 11.fxg5+ Kg6 12.Rf1 Qe8 13.Kxc2 d6 when White's pawns and attack are adequate compensation for the sacrificed piece.

8...Kxf4 

More material = more risk. This is a complicated line!

Another uneven instructive tale: 8...Kxd4 9.0–0 Bc5 (9...Nf6) 10.Kh1 (10.Nc3) 10...Qh4 (10...Be7) 11.Qa4+ Kd5 12.Nc3+ Kd6 13.d4 (13.Qe4) 13...Bb6 14.Bd2 (14.Qb4+) 14...Nf6 (14...Ke6) 15.Qb4+ Ke6 (15...c5) 16.Rae1+ Kf7 17.Qc4+ (17.Qe7+) 17...Kg6 (17...Kf8) 18.f5+ Kh5 19.Ne2 d5 20.Qd3 Ne4 21.Nf4+ Kg4 22.Qf3+ Kxf5 23.Ng6+ Kxg6 24.Qf7 checkmate, richiehill - steadylooking, FICS, 2011

Rybka prefers 8...Nf6 9.0-0 Kf5.

9.Rf1+ Kg5 10.d3+ Kg6 11.Qg4+ Black resigned