Jerome Gambit: Invisible Lines of Play

With an infinite time control, players would probably still not see "everything", but as the time control became shorter and shorter, things would begin to disappear, to drop over the event horizon. 

Blitz games feature a whole lot of invisible lines of play - invisible to one or both of the players; perhaps still visible to those who play over the games.

Scbmine - sevags

5 3 blitz, lichess.org, 2023

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+ 

4...Kxf7 5.Nxe5+ Nxe5 6.d4 

This is the main alternative to 6.Qh5+.

6...Qh4 

The strongest response, going back to Sorensen - X, Denmark, 1884, (1-0, 27) and which I have referred to as a "pie-in-the-face variation".

7.dxc5 

Frequently played, getting rid of the attacking enemy Bishop. Not as many players choose 7.O-O, "castling into it", Stockfish's preference.

7...Qxe4+ 8.Be3 Ng4 

Black adds another threat, ganging up on the Bishop at e3 while maintaining his threat to the pawn at g2.

White's response is best, even if it still leaves him with the worse game.

9.O-O Nxe3 10.fxe3+ Nf6 11.Nc3 Qxe3+ 12.Kh1 

The excitement has died down, and Black has an extra piece. After he captures at c5, he will have an extra pawn as well.

With his next move, however, he begins to lose the thread of the game.

White is nowhere near willing to surrender.

12...c6

What is wrong with this?

It helps White jump start his development and counter-attack.

13.Qh5+ Kf8 

A bit safer was 13...Kg8.

Now White is better.

14.Rae1 

The Rooks look scary on the e- and f-files, but this move is an oversight. (Temporizing with 14.Qh4 was better.)

As happens in a blitz game, however, it goes unnoticed by either player.

14...Qd4

A doubly painful move.

First, it allows 15.Re8# or 15.Qe8#.

Secondly, it overlooks that the White Rook can be taken: 14...Qxe1 15.Rxe1 Nxh5 and he would be up a Rook and a Bishop.

15.Ne4 

Still winning.

15...d6 16.Nxf6 g6 17.Nxh7+ Black resigned

Black is powerless in the face of his opponent's firepower - something that he did not forsee 10, or even 5, moves ago.