Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit: Hero Knight

The following miniature game has some interesting moments: Black develops fast, he safeguards his displaced King, he advances his Queen - and he resigns before a dozen moves have been played.

White's Knight can take come credit for this. Take a look.

panchito36 - ppplatypus

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2022

 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Bxf7+ 

The Blackburne Shilling Jerome Gambit.

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Ke6 6.Nc4 

White has a different idea from the more usual 6.c3. The Knight has a special role to play.

6...b5 

An aggressive way to prepare to fianchetto a Bishop on b7.

The more thematic 6...d5 was seen in a number of games: 7.exd5+ Qxd5 8.Ne3 (8.Qg4+ Ke7 9.Ne3 [9.Qh4+ Nf6 10.Ne3 Qe5 11.Kd1 g5 12.Qg3 Qxg3 13.hxg3 Kf7 14.c3 Nc6 15.d4 Ng4 16.Nxg4 Bxg4+ 17.Kc2 Re8 18.Bxg5 Re2+ 19.Nd2 Be7 20.Bxe7 Nxe7 21.Rae1 Rxf2 22.Rhf1 Rxf1 23.Rxf1+ Kg7 24.Ne4 Bf5 25.Kd3 Bxe4+ 26.Kxe4 Re8 27.Kd3 Ng6 28.b4 Nf8 29.a4 Ne6 30.c4 Rf8 White lost on time, BenWB - Coaster, 3 0 blitz, FICS, 2003] 9...Nxc2+ 10.Ke2 Bxg4+  White resigned, Jagga - jbgmfics, 3 5 blitz, FICS, 2019; 8.O-O Qxc4 9.Qg4+ Ke7 10.Re1+ Kd8 11.Qe4 Ne7 12.Na3 Qd5 13.c3 Qxe4 14.Rxe4 Ndc6 15.d4 Nd5 16.Bg5+ Be7 17.Bxe7+ Ndxe7 18.Rae1 Re8 19.f3 Bd7 20.b4 Nd5 21.Rxe8+ Bxe8 22.b5 Na5 23.c4 Nc3 24.c5 Bxb5 25.Nxb5 Nxb5 26.d5 Nc3 White resigned, rihards - berik, blitz, FICS, 2005) 8...Qc6 9.Qg4+ Kf7 10.Qxd4 Bc5 11.Qd5+ Be6 12.Qxc6 bxc6 13.O-O Nf6 14.c3 Bb6 15.d4 Rad8 16.Re1 Rhe8 17.Nd2 c5 18.Nf3 cxd4 19.cxd4 Bxd4 20.Nxd4 Rxd4 21.b3 Ne4 22.Bb2 Rd2 23.Ba3 Rxf2 24.Nc4 Bxc4 25.bxc4 Rc2 26.Rec1 Re2 27.Rf1+ Kg6 28.Rae1 Rxa2 29.Bc5 Rc2 30.Bxa7 Rxc4 31.Rf4 Nd6 32.Rxe8 Rxf4 33.Re7 Nb5 34.Be3 Rc4 35.Re5 c6 36.Rg5+ Kf7 37.Rg3 g6 38.Rf3+ Ke6 39.Bg5 Nd4 40.Re3+ Kf5 41.Bh6 Rc1+ 42.Kf2 Rc2+ 43.Kg3 Ne2+ 44.Kf3 Nd4+ 45.Kg3 g5 46.h3 Kg6 47.Bf8 Nf5+ 48.Kf3 Nxe3 49.Kxe3 Rxg2 50.Kf3 Ra2 51.Kg3 Ra4 52.Kf3 Kf7 53.Bd6 Rd4 54.Bc5 Rd3+ 55.Kg4 Rc3 56.Bd4 Rc4 57.Kxg5 Rxd4 58.h4 c5 59.Kf5 c4 60.Ke5 Rd8 White resigned, KnightBiker - tonya, 10 0 blitz, FICS, 2009.

7.Ne3 Bb7 8.d3  

Stronger was 8.c3, e.g. 8...Nc6 9.d4 Qg5 10.O-O Nxd4 11.cxd4 Bxe4 12.f3 Bb7 13.d5+ Bxd5 14.Re1 Bc5 15.Kh1 Kd6 16.Nc4+ Kc6 17.Bxg5 Black resigned, gregweb - michon, 5 5 blitz, FICS, 2016 

8...Qg5 

The Black Queen takes its thematic position in a Blackburne Shilling Gambit. The White Knight on e3 protects the otherwise vulnerable pawn on g2, however.

In fact, Stockfish 14.1 gives White almost a Rook's worth of advantage here. Black would have done better to retreat his King to f7.

9.c3 Nc6 10.Qb3+ Ke7

An unfortunate misstep. 

11.Nd5+ Black resigned

I was puzzled the first time I saw this position. What was White's Knight doing in order to force resignation?

Then I realized, it was what the Knight wasn't doing: blocking the c1-h6 diagonal. Black will respond to the check, and his Queen will be lost.