Blackburne Shilling Gambit
You leave a pawn on e5 for the knight. If the knight takes it, your queen comes out and it can end in checkmate.
27%of players rated around 800 take the pawn here
Your opponent's Chess.com rating
Playing White against it? Defend against it
Good to know
- Opening
- Italian Game
- You play
- Black
- The trap is set on
- Move 3
- What you win
- Checkmate, or a knight
- If they do not bite
- White is a little better
- Games counted
- 12 million on Lichess
How to defend against the Blackburne Shilling Gambit
Take the knight with yours. 39% of players rated around 800 find it. The pawn on e5 can wait: trade off the knight first.
A better game for you.
The way out, move by move, as WhiteBlackburne Shilling Gambit moves
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Nxe5 Qg5 5.Nxf7 Qxg2 6.Rf1 Qxe4+ 7.Be2 Nf3#
- 1.e4White pushes the king's pawn
Most games start this way.
- 1…e5Push your king's pawn too
Meet White in the centre.
- 2.Nf3White's knight comes out
The knight attacks your pawn on e5.
- 2…Nc6Bring your knight out
Your knight defends the pawn.
- 3.Bc4White's bishop comes out to c4
This is the Italian Game, one of the most played openings at every level.
- 3…Nd4Jump your knight to d4
Your pawn on e5 has lost its guard. You want the knight to take it.
- 4.Nxe5The knight takes the pawn
27% of players rated around 800 take it. This is the mistake.
- 4…Qg5Bring your queen out to g5
She attacks the knight and the pawn on g2 at once. White cannot save both.
- 5.Nxf7The knight takes on f7
40% of them go for your queen and rook together. Leave them both.
- 5…Qxg2Take the pawn on g2
Your queen now attacks the rook in the corner.
- 6.Rf1The rook steps aside
Saving the rook changes nothing. Check is coming.
- 6…Qxe4+Take the pawn with check
The bishop has to block. If the queen blocks, your knight takes her.
- 7.Be2The bishop blocks
Now the bishop is pinned to the king and cannot move.
- 7…Nf3#Jump the knight in for checkmate
The king is boxed in by his own pieces.
Checkmate.
See it one move at a timeBlackburne Shilling Gambit questions
What if they do not fall for the Blackburne Shilling Gambit?
73% of players rated around 800 play something else. Then White is a little better.
How do you defend against the Blackburne Shilling Gambit?
As White, take the knight with yours. 39% of players rated around 800 find it. The pawn on e5 can wait: trade off the knight first. A better game for you.
What do you win with the Blackburne Shilling Gambit?
Checkmate, or a knight. In the main line, checkmate.
At what rating does the Blackburne Shilling Gambit work?
It works best against players under 400, where 30% take the pawn. Against players around 2000, 15% do.
More traps
All opening trapsCounted from the rated blitz, rapid and classical games on Lichess that reached this position. Ratings are shown as Chess.com ratings: the games are grouped by Lichess rating, which runs higher, and each group is named by the Chess.com rating it comes to in ChessGoals' comparison of players with an account on both. A rating with fewer than 300 such games shows no number.