Update

Readers who enjoy visiting "Bruno's Chess Problem of the Day" (one of the sites this blog is linked to) and appreciate Yury V. Bukayev's opening analysis (see "Something New in Something Old" and "Even in the Most Respectable of Settings" for examples) are encouraged to check out his further examinations of the Nh4-Bukayev Gambit (earlier article is here).

But what is chess...?

There is a fine line in chess between "chaos" and "complications" – and the Jerome Gambit and its relations, in this case, the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit – tend to trample all over that line, especially in blitz chess.

crokit - sahistonline
blitz, FICS, 2011


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

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Ke7 5.Nxe5

Needlessly complicating the position – but what is chess without complications?

5...d6

An earlier battle between the two players continued 5...Nf6 6.c3 d6 7.cxd4 dxe5 8.Qb3 Nxe4 9.0-0 Qxd4 10.Qf3 Nxd2 11.Bxd2 Bg4 12.Bg5+ Kd7 13.Qxb7 Rc8 14.Qb5+ c6 15.Qb7+ Rc7 16.Qb8 Rc8 17.Qb3 Bc5 18.Be3 Qd6 19.f3 Bxe3+ 20.Kh1 Be6 21.Bxe6+ Qxe6 22.Rd1+ Ke7 23.Qxe3 Black resigned, crokit - sahistonline, FICS, 2011.

6.Qh5

Letting slip the thread of the game. Earlier in the year Black faced the stronger 6.Bxg8 (good at move 5 as well):  6...Rxg8 7.c3 (7.Nd3 Ke8 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Qd5 Nxc2+ 10.Kf1 Rg7 11.Nf4 Re7 12.d3 Nxa1 13.Qc4 a6 14.b3 Bd7 15.Bb2 Nxb3 16.Qxb3 Bc6 17.Bf6 Qd7 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Ne6 Kd7 20.Nf4 Bh6 21.g3 g5 22.Nd5 Qe6 23.Kg2 Rf8 24.Nd2 Qf7 25.Rf1 Bb5 26.a4 Bc6 27.Qc4 g4 28.Qc1 Bxd5 29.exd5 Qxd5+ 30.Kg1 Qxd3 31.Rd1 Qd4 White resigned, Doctoroldhead - sahistonline, FICS, 2011) 7...dxe5 8.d3 Ne6 9.Qh5 h6 10.0-0 g6 11.Qe2 Ke8 12.Be3 Qd6 13.Nd2 b6 14.Nc4 Qd8 15.Nxe5 Bd6 16.Nc4 Be7 17.d4 Bg5 18.f4 Bh4 19.b4 Bb7 20.d5 Ng7 21.Ne5 Nh5 22.Nf3 Be7 23.Ne5 Bf6 24.Nxg6 Ng3 25.hxg3 Bxc3 26.Rac1 Bxb4 27.Qh5 Qd7 28.Ne5+ Black forfeited on time, Darthnik - sahistonline, FICS, 2011.

6...Nxc2+ 7.Ke2

Probably best was 7.Kd1, as after 7...Nf6 8.Ng6+ hxg6 9.Qxh8 Nxh8 Black does not have as great an advantage as after the text.

7...Nf6 8.Ng6+ Kxf7 9.Nxh8+ Ke7

Snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. (...Kg8 looked safe enough)

10.Qf7 checkmate

Sunday Tournament Update

With only two games left to complete in the ChessWorld Jerome Gambit Thematic Tournament, the standings are as follows

AsceticKingK9        27/28

mckenna215         23.5/28

braken                  19.5/28

Rikiki00               18.5/27

Knight32              18.5/28

shm19cs               16.5/28

blackburne              15/28

Magni                     14/28

Haroldlee123         12/28

DREWBEAR 63   11/28

pixifrufru                 9/28

Luke Warm             8/28

Baron wd von
Blanc, heart pirate 7.5/27

klonka59                 5/28

martind1991           3/26

Time Machine

The following blitz game is another miniature from The Database that seems to have been pulled out of the early 19th Century. White offers material, regardless of how sound the attack is (or is not) while Black gathers it all in, until his game explodes.


tractrix - pivolasko
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.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.f4+ Kxe4 8.Nc3 checkmate

Wow!

Hard to Believe

We are living in the new millenium, the time of super grandmasters and silicon wonders, and it can be hard to believe that danger, especially in the form of an obscure gambit, can strike quickly in a chess game... Here is another selection from the new version of The Database.



SpiderSI - septox
blitz, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Na5

4.Bxf7+

The Jerome treatment.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.d4 d5

7.Qg4+

Strongest is 7.Qh5, but the text will do.

7...Kf6 8.Bg5 checkmate

Crime and Punishment

I have been having a lot of fun looking through games in the new version of The Database. The short games seem to be examples of chessic "crime and punishment."

DEDave - petergajendra
standard, FICS, 2011

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Na5

Here we have that nameless variation that seems to hope for 4.Bb3 Nxb3, and could always be met with 4.Nxe5, but which calls out to be Jerome-ized.

4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Kf6

Not quite believing that White has enough for his piece. Otherwise, he would have kept the game about even with 5...Ke7.

6.d4 d6

A little too much of "business as usual".

7.Qf3+ Ke6 8.Qf7 checkmate

Public Service Announcement

Every once in a while I have to post some games, to caution those who experiment with the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) that a certain line just is not playable.*



Kaarvek  - LuigiBot
standard, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ White resigned


burraburra - chintoo
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.d4 Qxg2 White resigned


darumsdad - MRKumar
standard, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.d3 Qxg2 White resigned


FURST - cubs
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.Qf3+ Qf6 7.Qxf6+ Nxf6 White resigned


roadcyclist - roomys
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ Qxg5 6.Qf3+ Nf6 7.0-0 Nd4 8.Qc3 Ne2+ White resigned


Why do players continue to try an early Nf3-g5+ ? Perhaps because of games like the following

drumme - jherman
blitz, FICS, 2011
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.d4 exd4 6.Ng5+ Ke8 7.Qf3 h6 8.Qf7 checkmate











(*-The Database has 379 games with the 5.Ng5+ line, including 81 wins and 10 draws for White, scoring 23%, so I guess that it is not completely unplayable.)