Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Knight vs Knight

Mutual Knights threating enemy Rooks - the Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit has tactics across the board.

In the following game, Black pauses - and the game soon goes to his opponent.

Kmighty - Bibson24

10 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2024

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 7.Nxg6 

Each side enjoys Knight tactics.

7...Qf6

Black decides not to go down the rabbit hole of 7...hxg6 8.Qxh8 Nxc2+ 9.Kd1 Nxa1 10.Qxg8 Qg5, although it would bring him a small advantage.

However, this turns the game over to White.

8.Nxh8+ Kd8 9.d3 

Chosing not to horse around with 9.Nf7+ Ke7 10.d3 Qxf7 11.Qc5+ d6 12.Qxd4 - introducing a threat that is overlooked. 

9...Nxc2+ 10.Kd1 Nxa1 11.Bg5 Black resigned

Ouch.

Jerome Gambit: Find The Mate

 

Sometimes the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) provides an attack that takes down the opponent quickly.

Other times, it leads to an advantage in the endgame.

The following diagram shows such a game after Black's 66th move.

It is a blitz game, so it is not just important to find the checkmate, it is important to find it quickly.

How would you play?

How did you do?

The game actually unfolded this way: 67.Kd7 Kd5 68.Qf6 Ke4 69.Kd6 Kd3 70.Qe5 Kc4 71.Kc6 Kd3 72.Qf4 Ke2 73.Kd5 Kd3 74.Qd4+ Kc2 75.Kc4 Kc1 76.Kc3 Kb1 77.Kb3 Kc1 78.Qd3 Drawn by stalemate

That's got to sting.

Jerome Gambit: A Tactic To Remember

Things happen quickly in blitz games, and they are often ended by a killing tactic.

The following game is a brutal example.

rajasthan - twagner

3 0 blitz, FICS, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.c3 

Having sacrificed a piece, White returns to the "Quiet Game".

There are 2,400 games in The Database with this position, with White scoring 46%.

By comparison, there are about 38,000 games with 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, with White scoring 52% - suggesting that, comparatively, 5.c3 may not be the strongest path forward.

5...Qf6 6.d3 

Quieter, yet.

6...d6 7.Qb3+ Qe6 

Black responds too quickly: Let's exchange, shall we?

8.Ng5+ 

Oh.

8...Ke7 9.Nxe6 Bxe6 10.Qxb7 Rb8 11.Qxc6 Black resigned 

A dive into The Database shows 304 games with White's Knight forking Black's King and Queen - and White scores 85%.

A tactic to remember.

Jerome Gambit: Is This Enough to Refute?

 

I have always encouraged those who visit this blog, and those who play the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+), to become as familiar as possible with many "refutations" of the opening.

It is helpful to know what your opponents might play against you.

Where might they get their ideas? In truth, probably the best place would be this blog. In all fairness, I think I have posted every "refutation" extant, and will post new ones as they are produced.

Like I said, it is helpful to know what your opponents might play against you.

There are many places your opponents might research, but some of them are not very convincing.

For example, a visit to the WikiBooks coverage, Chess Opening Theory/1. e4/1...e5/2. Nf3/2...Nc6/3. Bc4/3...Bc5/4. Bxf7 provides pretty thin gruel:

4. Bxf7+?

White's plan is to lure black's King into the open. This gambit is relatively weak because black can deflect any attack while maintaining a significant material advantage. The obvious response is Kxf7.

Theory table

For explanation of theory tables, see theory table and for notation, see algebraic notation..

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

	4	5
Jerome Gambit	Kxf7	Nxe5+ Nxe5	=+

Yes, that's it.

If that coverage scares you off, I hear that Win with the London System, by Sverre Johnsen and Vlatko Kovacevic is pretty good.

Jerome Gambit: Illusion

In the following bullet game, White keeps calm as Black plans a deadly fork - that turns out to be an illusion. 

shyamdangol - pvp803

2 1 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 7.c3

White prepares for d4, as in the regular Giuoco Piano.

The idea is an interesting combination of both "modern" and "classical" approaches to the Jerome. It appears in 128 games in The Database, with Whtie scoring 49%.

Alternately, there was 7.Qh3 (145 games, scoring 44%), or 7.f4 (1,870 games, scoring 60%), or 7.Qf5+ (2,162 games, scoring 54%).

7...Nf6

Black also had 7...Nd3+ which sets a number of problems for White, via possible Knight forks. There are 17 games in The Database with 7...Nd3+. White scores 50%).

 8.Qf5+ 

Consistent, as opposed to 8.Qe2, a computer recommendation; there are no game examples in The Database/

8...Kd6

Hanging onto the Knight.

He also had 8...Kf7, so that after 9.Qxe5, the pesky 9...Bxf2+ (not in The Database) could again arrive, again with advantage.

 9.d4

9...Nd3+ 

Escaping the pawn fork, with check

10.Kd2 

The computer doesn't see much difference between this move or 10.Kd1 or 10.Kf1 or 10.Ke2. 

10...Nxe4+ 

Counting on a Knight fork at f2, but missing something. In bullet chess, that happens.

11.Qxe4 Nxf2 

12.Qe5+ Kc6 13.Qxc5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Anything Is Playable in 1-Minute Chess

msc87 - Xander1010

1 0 bullet, lichess, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.d3 

One of the "modern" Jerome Gambit variations, unlike the "classical" 5.Nxe5+ lines played by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome.

5...Nf6 6.Ng5+ 

I have railed in the past against Ng5+ in the Jerome Gambit (see "Jerome Gambit: The Face Palm Variation" and "Back At Me" about 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+ for examples).

It is tempting to continue to put pressure on the Black King, but the Knight needs help in order to be effective - and help does not always come. There are 342 game examples in The Database, and White scores only 34%.

6...Kg6 

His Majesty would be safer at g8.

7.h4 h6 

Hoping to eject the annoying enemy Knight, and possibly create a space for his King at h7. However, it is also the enemy pawn that is a problem, and a stronger response was to be found in 7...h5, keeping the pawn back and holding ontohis advantage.

8.h5+ Nxh5 9.Qxh5+ Kf6 10.Qf7 checkmate

Ouch.

Abrahams Jerome Gambit: One of These Things Is Not Like the Other

There are similarities between the Jerome Gambit, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+, and a similar sacrifice coming out of the Bishops opening, 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+. 

There are differences, as well. Not everything you know about the classical Jerome Gambit can be carried over to the Abrahams.

msc87 - DSphotographer

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2024

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Bxf7+ 

I refer to this line as the Abrahams Jerome Gambit, after Gerald Abrahams, who called the line the Jerome Gambit in his chess books. See the posts "The Abrahams Jerome Gambit (Part I and II)".

3...Kxf7 4.Qh5+ g6 

Like in the Jerome Gambit, the King does best to retreat to Kf8. 

The text gives White an edge.

5.Qxe5 Qe7 

Defending along the lines of Whistler's defense in the Jerome, although it does not work in this case.

What is Black's best defense? Stockfish 16.1 takes us on a merry ride to answer that question: 5...Bxf2+!? 6.Kxf2 Nf6 (6...Qxe4+ 7.Ne2 Qxg2 8.Qxh7+ Kf8 9.Rf1 favors White) 7.Qf4 g5 8.Qf3 Nc6 9.d3 Nd4 10.Qd1 d5 11.Nc3 Bg4 12.Nf3 Rf8 13.h3 Bxf3 14.gxf3 Kg8 15.Bxg5 Ng4+ 16.hxg4 Qxg5 17.Rh3 Rxf3+ 18.Rxf3 Nxf3 19.Kxf3 Rf8+ 20.Kg2 Rf4 21.Ne2 Rxg4+ 22.Kf3 Qh5 23.Ke3 Qh6+ 24.Kf2 Qh2+ 25.Ke1 Qh1+ 26.Kd2 Qh6+ 27.Kc3 Qc6+ 28.Kb3 Qb5+ and Black will force a draw by perpetual check.

6.Qxh8 Nf6 

The consistent 6...Qxe4+ does not generate enough of an attack, and after 7.Ne2 Qxg2 8.Qxh7+ Kf8 9.Rf1 White will be able to safeguard his King and remain the exchange ahead.

However, the text is not like its cousin in the Jerome Gambit - White's Queen is not trapped, and, instead, goes on a rampage.

7.Qxc8 d6 

Giving more resistance would be 7...Nxe4. But, remember, this is a 1-minute game.

8.Qxb7 Nbd7 9.Qxa8 Nxe4 

White is better here, ahead by 2 Rooks and 2 pawns, but he must be careful because his King is still in the center, and Black's pieces are targeting him. A lot to keep in mind as the clock continues to tick.

10.Ne2 Bxf2+ 

Black has a saving cheapo in mind.

11.Kd1 Bb6 

Now, to do something about Black's pressure on the e-file...

12.Re1 Nf2 checkmate

Checkmate with one piece. That's gotta smart.

Nice work, DSphotographer.

Missed by that much, msc87.