Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Tactics

William Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead. It is not even past".

The tactical cut-and-thrust of early chess masters such as Anderssen and Morphy can be found echoed in modern online blitz play.

The following game is a fun example.

mir252 - Pranep

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 

The Blackburne Shilling Gambit.

4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit. Of course, White has alternatives, such as 4.Nxd4, 4.c3 and 4.0-0 (as well as 4.Nxe5, which is what Black is hoping for), but the Bishop sacrifice sharpens things immediately.

The Database has 7,030 games with this move. White scores 56%

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 

Black is not convinced that the attack is valid.

The "standard" continuation now is 6.c3, which leads to an edge for Black, but, instead, White decides to offer more material.

6.Qg4+ Kxe5 7.f4+ 

7...Kd6

Not 7...Kxe4 8.Nc3 checkmate. It could happen in blitz. 

8.e5+ Kd5 9.Nc3+ Kc6 10.f5 Nxc2+  

The a1 Rook is available, too.

11.Kd1 Nxa1

This is going too far. 

Stockfish 15.1 suggests 11...a6 12.Kxc2 Kb6 13.d3 Ka7 and Black's King has stepped away from danger, although play can continue actively.

12.Qc4+ Bc5 13.Qb5 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Pawns Take Their Place

In fast time controls the focus can be on pieces - their development, the tactics that they are involved in.

Only when things become quiet do the pawns take their place on the stage.

However, in the following Jeorme Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game, the pawns lead the way to checkmate. 

xb8 - muriungik

1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 

The lichess.org computer gives this move as an "inaccuracy", seeing 6...Ke6 as "best".

Of the 4 top moves, Stockfish 15.1 (31 ply) rates 6...Ke6 as about 1/4 of a pawn better as 6...Kf8, which Stockfish sees as about 3/4 of a pawn better than 6...g6, which is seen as about a pawn better than 6...Ng6.

The move appears to be the "people's choice", however, according to The Database: 6...Ng6  is played 45% of the time; 6...Ke6 is played 24% of the time; 6...Kf8 is played 16% of the time; and 6...g6 is played 13% of the time.

7.Qd5+ Kf8 8.Qxc5+ N8e7 9.O-O b6 10.Qc3 Bb7 

Here we have a typical Jerome Gambit position. Black is ahead in development, but will need to use some of that time to safeguard his King. White's King is already castled. The placement of White's Queen may or may not be favorable.

11.d3 Kf7 

Intending to castle-by-hand.

12.f4 Rf8 13.f5 

The "Jerome pawn" races forward to complicate things.

The computer now suggests the consistent 13...Kg8 14.fxg6 Rxf1+ 15.Kxf1 Nxg6 when White would have a small material advantage (one pawn) but his King would be the one more at risk, and his development would still lag.

13...Nh4 

Black does not want to put his Knight away with 13...Nh8, but the text puts it at risk.

14.Qe1 

This move makes perfect sense: attack the hapless enemy Knight. Yet that could more efficiently be accomplished by 14.Bg5.

Remember: this is a bullet game, each player has only 60 seconds to complete play.

14...g5 

To protect the Knight. Again, the clock affects play.

An idea of how complicated this position has gotten is in Stockfish 15.1's suggestion: 14...Nexf5 15.g4 d5 16.Nc3 dxe4 17.dxe4 Re8 18.gxf5 Bxe4 19.Qg3 Bb7 20.Rf4 Qe7 21.Rxh4 Qc5+ 22.Kf1 Ba6+ 23.Kg2 Bb7+ 24.Kf1 equal.

15.Bxg5 Nxg2 16. Kxg2 Rg8 

Threats are a large part of moves in bullet games, but in this case White has answers.

17.Qh4 h6 18.Qh5+ Kf8 19.Qxh6+ Ke8 

20.h4 Nc6 21.Kh3 Rxg5

Unfortunately necessary.

22.Qxg5 Qxg5 23.hxg5 Kf7 

White's material advantage will tell as soon as it arrives on the battlefield. In the meantime, the "Jerome pawns" are active.

24.g6+ Kf6 25.Kg4 Ne5+ 26.Kf4 d6 27.Nd2 Rg8 28.Nf3 Nc6 29.Rf2 a5 30.Rh1 Nb4 31.Rh7 Bc6 32.Rf7 checkmate

Jerome Gambit: Brutal

The Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) often features a battle between White's extra pawns and Black's extra piece.

The following game is a brutal example.

Anonymous - Anonymous

3 0 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

6...Bb4+ 

Inspired and popular, but not as strong as either the aggressive 6...Qh4 or the simple 6...Bxd4.

 7.c3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 Ng6 

White has an edge, but his "Jerome pawns" will make sure that Black has a headache.

9.f4 d6 10.O-O 

Often seen is 9.O-O d6 10.f4, winding up in the same place.

10...Nh6 

Black wants to avoid the charge of the enemy's e-pawn, but that is not the only "Jerome pawn" to fear.

11.f5 Ne7 12.Qh5+ Kf8 

Or 12...Kg8 as in Wall, Bill - Facundo, lichess.org, 2017 (1-0, 16)

13.f6 Ng6 14.fxg7+ Kxg7 15.Bxh6+ Kg8 16.Qd5+ 

White won on time before he was able to deliver checkmate

The Jaw Drop Variation

 

Recently a Reader shared a game that he said was inspired by the Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+). It left me shocked. My jaw dropped.

For a Jerome Gambit devotee, that was something.

The game started out 

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6 4.Bxf7+

If someone thought that he was going to defend a quiet spin-off from the Philidor Defense - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Nc6 - he was quite surprised. He got Jeromed.

Clearly White had joined the imaginary club of Chess Players Living Dangerously. Welcome!

This was a line that I was totally unfamiliar with. It was time to explore. Checking my databases, I turned up a couple of game examples, that's it.

Amazing.

(Before you jump all over me and say It's not a strong move, of course it doesn't show up in databases! let me remind you that The Database, full of Jerome and Jerome-ish games - replete with not-strong-moves - has almost 84,000 entries.)

Still searching, I went to the online website where the game was played, lichess.org, and I found 89,623 (!) games with this opening. On top of it, White scored 46% wins, 51% losses, and 3% draws.

(By comparison, in 566,673 games at lichess.org, the Jerome Gambit scores 48% wins, 49% losses, and 3% draws.) 

The game continued

4...Kxf7 5.Ng5+ 

Wow.

An enemy that is surprised is already half defeated - German proverb

5...Qxg5 6.d4  

At this point I had a flashback to the Jerome Gambit, particularly the line 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ Kxf7 5.Ng5+, which over a decade ago prompted a "Public Service Announcement" and only a couple of years ago, the reflection

I think I betray my skepticism of this move in calling it the "face palm variation". See "Jerome Gambit: The Face Palm Variation" and "Jerome Gambit: Return of the Face Palm Variation".

Jaw Drop, meet Face Palm.

Back to the game.

6...Nxd4 

Qui audet adipiscitur

Ο Τολμών Νικά

O tolmón niká

Qui ose gagne

Chi osa vince

Quem ousa vence

Wer wagt, gewinnt

Who dares, wins!

7.Bxg5 h6 

Black resigned

Black has two pieces for his Queen. It is not enough.

But clearly the second player had enough.

Jerome Gambit: A Bit Awkward

It is a bit awkward to post another Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) loss so quickly (two in a row), but my plan for my blog has been to show all of my Jeromes, win or lose.

perrypawnpusher - DouglasEngle

3d/move, Giuoco Piano Game, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ke6 

7.Qf5+ Kd6 8.f4 Qf6 9.fxe5+ Qxe5 10.Qf3 Nf6 

This position is a good presentation of the Jerome Gambit. 

Black has an extra piece with better development. Stockfish (30 ply) assesses Black as being a little more than a Rook better.

However, The Database shows White as better, scoring 77 - 42 - 1,  65%.  My own record before this game was 13 - 1, or 93%.

Disruptive play can eventually lead to advantage if you know what you're doing.

But not always.

For the record, I have also faced 10...Ke7 in perrypawnpusher - gtomlinson, 5 2 blitz, FICS, 2007 (1-0, 28). (Hmmm, I don't think I ever posted that game. Now)

Alonzo Wheeler Jerome met 10... Ne7 in a correspondence game, Jerome,A - Jaeger,D, correspondence, 1878 (0-1, 68) 

11.Nc3 

Moving away from 11.d3, which I had played a number of times before

perrypawnpusher - PREMK, 6 12 blitz, FICS, 2005 (1-0, 14);

perrypawnpusher - BronxBoyII, 10 3 blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 18)

perrypawnpusher - ViennaMike, 8 5 blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 19)

perrypawnpusher - Estebang, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 28) 

perrypawnpusher - Rossgil, 10 5 blitz, FICS, 2009 (1-0, 26)

perrypawnpusher - mconst, 5 12 blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 42)

perrypawnpusher - udofink, 10 0 blitz, FICS, 2010 (1-0, 13)

perrypawnpusher - recreation, 5 12 blitz, FICS, 2011 (1-0, 13)

perrypawnpusher - karleinkarl, 2 12 blitz, FICS, 2012 (0-1, 16)

perrypawnpusher - vz721, Italian Game thematic, Chess.com, 2013 (1-0, 29)

perrypawnpusher - IlToscano, Giuoco Piano Thematic, Chess.com 2017 (1-0, 43)

11...Kc6 

I also faced 11...a6 in perrypawnpusher - Dogyou, 10 0 blitz FICS, 2009 (1-0, 21) 

12.d3 d6 13.h3 

The Pittsburgh Telegraph of November 2, 1881 carried the following letter

To the Chess Editor of the Telegraph Cincinnati, Oct 2 

The following analysis is a compilation, but is primarily based on games played by me with Mr. Jerome. A part of it has appeared in Bretano's Chess Monthly for October, but as the notation there adopted is not as good, in my opinon, as the tabular form, and as it also comtains some misprints and errors, owing, perhaps to my chirography, I have thought best to rewrite and add to the article and forward to you if you have space for it. 

Very respectfully, S.A.Charles 

As I wrote years ago in "The Jerome Gambit Gemeinde (early)" 

S. A. Charles, a member of the Cincinnati (Ohio, USA) Chess Club, wrote opening analyses, first for the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, then later for the Pittsburgh Telegraph. It is in the latter paper that in 1881 he presented his examination of the Jerome Gambit. That year he also played an incomplete Jerome Gambit correspondence match with Alonzo Jerome.

The analyses of Bretano's Chess Monthly and the Pittsburgh Telegraph included Jerome's 13.h3.

My opponent immediately identified a weakness of the move.

13...Nh5 14.Rf1 

After the game, Stockfish 15.1 had in interesting, if insufficient suggestion: 14.Be3 Qg3+ 15.Kd2 Rf8 16.Qxg3 Nxg3 17.Rhb1 Bxe3+ 18.Kxe3 Be6 19.b4 Kd7 20.a4.

14...Be6 15.g4 Rhf8 16.Qg2 Rxf1+ 17.Qxf1 Qg3+ 18.Kd1 Rf8 

A very good finish.

The Rook can not be taken: 19.Qxf8 Qg1+ 20.Qf1 Qxf1+ 21.Kd2 Bf2 22.d4 Bc4 23.d5+ Kd7 24.a3 Qe1 checkmate. 

However, more defensive moves by White allows Black's pieces to flow into the Kingside, e.g. 19.Qe1 Qxh3 20.Bg5 Bxg4+ 21.Ne2 Ng3 22.c3 Bf2 23.Qd2 Nf1

White resigned.

Oh, well. I still have one more Jerome Gambit game going in the 5th round of the Giuoco Piano Game tournament at Chess.com...

Jerome Gambit: Not the Way to Attack (Part 2)

 

[continued from the previous post]

perrypawnpusher - auswebby

3d/move, Giuoco Piano Game, Chess.com, 2023

White is starting his attack.

11.g4 

Whatever the proper continuation of the attack should be - this is not it.

This kind of "corrupted head" Bashi-Bazouk attack might work in 1-minute bullet chess, but it is totally out of place in a game where the time limit is 3 days per move.

I can only quote Steve McQueen from the movie "The Magnificent Seven" - It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Awkward.

The only other example from The Database does not provide much guidance: 11.Bxf6+ Qxf6 12.c3 Bd6 13.d4 c6 14.Qc4 Re8 15.Qd3 Qf4 16.f3 Bc7 17.Nd2 d5 18.e5 Bxe5 19.dxe5 Rxe5+ 20.Kf2 Bf5 21.Qf1 Qxd2+ 22.Kg3 Qg5+ 23.Kf2 Qe3+ 24.Kg3 Rae8 25.Qf2 Qxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Re2+ 27.Kg3 Rc2 28.Rhe1 Rxe1 29.Rxe1 Rxa2 30.Re7+ Kh6 31.Rxb7 Ra3 32.c4 dxc4 33.Rc7 c3 34.Rxc6 c2 35.Kf4 Ra1 36.g4 c1=Q+ 37.Rxc1 Rxc1 38.gxf5 gxf5 39.Kxf5 Rh1 40.f4 Rxh2 41.Ke5 Rf2 42.f5 Rxf5+ 43.Kxf5 a5 44.Ke5 a4 45.Kd4 Kg5 46.Kc3 h5 47.Kb2 h4 48.Ka3 h3 49.Kxa4 h2 50.Kb3 h1=Q 51.Kc4 Qf3 52.Kb5 Qc3 53.Kb6 Kf5 54.Kb5 Ke5 55.Ka4 Kd5 56.Kb5 Qc5+ 57.Ka4 Qb6 58.Ka3 Kc4 59.Ka2 Kc3 60.Ka1 Qb2 checkmate, BK57_JingleBells - pjkon_1_2_3, lichess.org, 2020

11...h6 12.h4 

Consistent.

12...Kh7 13.Qe5 

What else? But, there goes the ghost of the attack.

13...Qxe5 14.Bxe5 Rf8 

Black has castled-by-hand, is better developed, and has an extra piece for a pawn.

15.c3 Ba5 

This move is fine, although there was also 15...Nxg4 16.Bxc7 (16.cxb4 Nxe5) Be7.

16.f3 d6 17.Bd4 Nd7 18.O-O Bb6 

19.Na3 Ne5 20.Kg2 Bxd4 21.cxd4 Nd3 

The "Jerome pawns" look wonderful, but they are not enough.

22.Nc2 Bd7 23.Rab1 b6 24.Rb3 Nf4+ 25.Kg3 

Not looking ahead. Better was the awkward looking 25.Kf2.

25...Ba4 26.Rb2 Nd3 

Attacking the Rook that protects the Knight that is attacked by the Bishop.

White resigned

Like the hapless New York Mets baseball team of my youth, who had a fan at the first game of the season with a sign proclaiming "Wait 'til Next Year!" I want to say about the Jerome Gambit "Wait 'til Next Game!" - but the next game shows that my favorite opening took it on the chin again in this Chess.com tournament.

Jerome Gambit: Not the Way to Attack (Part 1)

I just conceded a Jerome Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+) game to my number one tormentor in that line, auswebby at Chess.com.

He made short work of my favorite opening, the battle lasting just a bit over a couple dozen moves. I am now 0 - 3 against him.

I have some new ideas, as a result, but first it is worth looking at where the old ideas took me.

perrypawnpusher - auswebby

3d/move, Giuoco Piano Game, Chess.com, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.Qh5+ g6 

This move usually leads to either Blackburne's defense (7.Qxe5 d6) or Whistler's defense (7.Qxe5 Qe7). In both cases Black offers a Rook that should not be taken without knowledge of the complications that follow; actually, against Whistler's Defense, it should not be taken at all.

A few years ago, I faced 6...Kf8 in perrypawnpusher - auswebby, Giuoco Piano Tournament, Chess.com, 2015 (0-1, 37). That loss against the Jerome Defense, (first suggested by Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in his analysis in an article in the Dubuque Chess Journal of July, 1874) was painful, as I had been 30 - 7 - 3 (79%) in the line. 

7.Qxe5 Qe7 

Whistler's defense it is. The line is named after Lt. G. N. Whistler, secretary of the Lexington, Kentucky Chess Club, who played it in a correspondence match against Alonzo Wheeler Jerome in 1876.

By the way, the alternative, 7...d6, Blackburne's defense, refers to the early game Amateur - Blackburne, London, 1884 (0-1, 14). 

8.Qd5+ 

More often played is 8.Qf4+, which I tried in perrypawnpusher - auswebby, Chess.com, 2022 (0-1, 46); in light of that loss, I figured it was time for a change.

Since I had played 8.Qd5+ successfully earlier in perrypawnpusher - moush54, chess.com, 2021 (1-0, 23), I thought I would give the move another try.

8...Kg7 9.b4 

Suggested by Yury V. Bukayev in his "JG: The New in Its Opening Theory, in Its Psychology (Part 15)" who points out that accepting the pawn 

leads to a very complicated fight where Black’s material advantage isn’t very large and where White gets an attack.

I believe that Yury is right about "a very complicated fight", although I suspect he will be disappointed to see my inability to make his words  - "where White gets an attack" - come true in this game.

9...Bxb4 

Stockfish 15.1 (40 ply) sees only 1/100th of a pawn difference between this capture and declining.

The Database has one 1-minute bullet game with Black declining: Anti-Duhring - Nadynoseer, 1 0 bullet, lichess.org, 2021, 9...Bb6 10.Bb2+ Nf6 11.e5 Re8 12.Qf3 Kf8 13.O-O d6 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Bxf6 Bf5 16.g4 Re6 17.gxf5 Rxf6 18.Qxb7 Re8 19.Qd5 Re5 20.Qf3 Rexf5 21.Qg3 Rxf2 22.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 23.Qxf2 Rxf2 24.Kxf2 Ke7 25.Nc3 Ke6 26.Re1+ Kf5 27.Rg1 c6 28.b5 cxb5 29.Nxb5 d5 30.Nxa7 d4 31.Nc6 Ke4 32.Nxd4 Kd5 33.Rxg6 Kxd4 34.Rg7 h6 35.Rh7 h5 36.Rxh5 Kc4 37.Rg5 Kd4 38.Rg3 Ke4 39.Re3+ Kf4 40.h4 Kg4 41.a4 Kxh4 42.a5 Kg4 43.a6 Kf4 44.a7 Kf5 45.a8=Q Kf4 46.Qe4+ Kg5 47.Rg3+ Black resigned

10.Bb2+ Nf6 

White's Bishop is powerful along the a1-h8 diagonal. It will need additional support to make the attack successful.

[to be continued]