@bigdogg said
The things that make traps work are fundamentals: pins, forks, skewers, trapped pieces, etc.
Stronger players don't fall for traps very often. The trap-lover may hit a wall against those players and not improve any further unless they learn how to win in more 'boring' ways.
But most people stop improving at some point. Chess is a lot of work with scant financial ...[text shortened]... arn a living from the game, it can be argued, if you're not enjoying playing, you're doing it wrong.
You're getting the picture Bigdogg. Improving is a whole lot of work, with very little to no reward.
However, as you can see, traps give plenty of reward, are easy to learn, and make a man happy.
No matter how much we try to improve, 99% or more of us will never become a master, and IM, or a GM. You have to be born with a special brain for that, and most people don't have that. Tough luck. Learn to live with it.
Still, everybody on his or her level can have a lot of fun with chess. Just don't take it too seriously, enjoy your wins, and forget your losses ASAP.
Trying to improve like crazy and getting nowhere is the best way I know to get disgusted with chess and quit the game.
Here is what a GM writes on Lichess about "The secret to lasting love for chess"
https://lichess.org/@/Avetik_ChessMood/blog/the-secret-to-lasting-love-for-chess/gvoomnBH
And that's what it's all about, having fun and loving the game. Otherwise, what are you doing it for?
Carlsen doesn't want to play word championships anymore. Kasparov quit the game. Kramnik quit the game. Judith Polgar quit the game. Bobby Fisher quit the game.
What is the use of your enormous chess powers if you don't enjoy yourself and quit the game?
Just don't stress out too much about getting better, and just play the game and enjoy the game.
And it just happens to be so that traps add an enormous amount of fun to the game.
https://tinyurl.com/pity-no-traps