100 Chess Traps to Play Before You Die.

1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 {This has seen 30,000+ times on RHP. No point in studying a trap if you are never going to see a position to use it.} 2... Nf6 {Saccing the e-pawn for development on the Black Queen.} 3. Qxe5+ Be7 4. d3 {A popular move that has been played in this position some 1,200+ on RHP/ White anticipates Nc6 and does not want to leave the e-pawn hanging.} 4... Nc6 5. Qg3 {This is meant to prevent castles....} 5... O-O {...due to.} 6. Bh6 {We are now thinning down the number of RHP appearances. Last count it was 47.} 6... Nh5 7. Qg4 {Either this or 7.Qf3 are the chosen moves here.} 7... Ne5 {The trap is set. First sacrifice the Knight.} 8. Qxh5 d6 {Defending the e5 Knight and should White now save his Bishop.} 9. Bf4 Bg4 {Black wins the Queen! Pretty good eh! Send me your cheques, postal orders, bank details and be a master chess player within a matter of minutes.}

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nf3 {Black can now play 3...Nc6 and we go into a Two Knights Defence. This has been a popular decision but players who have faith in their ability (and a bit of theory) take the pawn.} 4... Nxe4 {We now have a Urosov Gambit.} 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. Bg5 {When I first saw this opening many many years ago my first thought was Black surely gets mauled to shreds.} 6... Be7 7. Nc3 c6 {Aimed at shutting out the c4 Bishop but it does to me seem a tad slow, 7...Nc6, which will see later is the move that scores best for Black.} 8. O-O-O {The White position is streets ahead in development.} 8... d5 9. Qh4 b5 {Another pawn move. OK this drives the Bishop to where it was going to go anyway.} 10. Bd3 {Black will need to prepare castling because of the Bxf6 and Qxh7 mate trick on the position.} 10... b4 {Another pawn move. Black is walking a slippery slope.} 11. Na4 {Knight out on a limb. It's bait. White was maybe expecting 11...Qa5 12.Rhe1 with Bxf6 coming.} 11... c5 {Another pawn move. White does not panic.} 12. Rhe1 {Here Black realised his trap. 12...c4 13.Bxc4 Qa5 would invite 14.Bxf6 so he stops playing with his pawns and develops a piece.} 12... Be6 13. Bf5 {Yes. We are now at the piece saccing stage. White superior development is throwing up all kinds of attacking ideas. 13...Bxf5 14.Bxf6 rips Back apart.} 13... Qd6 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Qh3 {A simple retreat. White wins back his pawn and still has a wonderful position.} 15... O-O 16. Rxe6 Qd7 {Hoping to buy some time to organise a defence by hitting the a4 Knight. White wraps this up with a nice line.} 17. Ne5 Qxa4 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Rxf6 Rxf6 20. Qc8+ Rf8 21. Qe6+ Kh8 {Philidor’s Legacy anyone?} 22. Nf7+ Kg8 23. Nh6+ Kh8 24. Qg8+ Rxg8 25. Nf7

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 {This is a Petrov and Black might not know he can trapped into another opening.} 2... Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nxe4 5. Qxd4 {Here we are.} 5... Nf6 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Nc3 {As in the last game now we see.....} 7... Nc6 8. Qh4 d5 9. O-O-O Be6 {Black in this game does not waste time pushing pawns. In the opening it's always about the big D.} 10. Rhe1 O-O 11. Bd3 h6 {Decision time for White. Retreat or sacrifice.} 12. Bxh6 Ne4 {We meet this position in the next game. White now blunders with.} 13. Bg5 {Black can play 13...Nxg5 and White cannot take back 14.Nxg5 Bxg5+ wins White's Queen.} 13... Bxg5+ {OK but 13...Nxg5 was better.} 14. Nxg5 Nxg5 15. f4 Ne4 {If the White Queen was on h5 then White would have 16.Bxe4 here. But as is it White has to avoid the Queen swap.} 16. Qh5 g6 17. Qh6 {Just one more defensive move (17...Qf6) and Black is looking good.} 17... Nxc3 {OOPS! Tempting but instead of taking back on c3 White has....} 18. Bxg6 fxg6 19. Qxg6+ {White has nicked a perpetual.} 19... Kh8 20. Rxe6 {But White wants more. Black can now make White regret his decision with 20....Qh4. There is no White win there.} 20... Nxd1 {But now there is.} 21. Qh5+ {21.Qh6+ and Rg6+ mate quicker but White still has the win.} 21... Kg8 22. Qg4+ Kh7 {White's making it difficult. The only win here is 23.Qh3+ Kg7 24.Qh6+ Kg8 25.Rg6+} 23. Rg6 {If Black had now played 23..Qh4 here it would have gone into a lone Queen V. two Rooks and a Knight.} 23... Rf5 {To stop Qh5 mate. Black never examined all the defences resources. See previous note.} 24. Qxf5 Ne7 25. Qh5 {Checkmate.}

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qxd4 Nf6 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. Qh4 d5 9. O-O-O Be6 10. Rhe1 O-O 11. Bd3 h6 12. Bxh6 Ne4 {We saw all this in the previous game. White now played.} 13. Qf4 {A much better move, the threat Bxe5 is still on the board.} 13... Bd6 14. Qe3 Bc5 15. Qf4 {A few games have now gone Bd6-Bc5-Bd6 draw agreed. But in this game we see.} 15... Nxf2 16. Qg3 Nxd3+ {Getting rid of that nasty d3 Bishop with check. One or two more defensive moves and unlike the previous games Black will be OK.} 17. Rxd3 Qf6 18. Bg5 Qf5 {On f5 the Queen holds the d5 pawn. Having Queen defending pawns is often a recipe for a trick or two. But I can see nothing. White tried to fan the flames of the attack with...} 19. Nh4 {But....} 19... Qf2 {Queens off. White had no wish to face those two Bishops going into a pawn down ending so rolled the dice. One last trap.} 20. Bh6 Qxg3 21. Rxg3 {This would have looked good in White's mind a few moves ago. 21...g6 22.Nxg6 and White is winning.} 21... Kh7 {This looked even better in Black's mind a few moves ago. All the tactics now favour Black.} 22. Bxg7 Bf2 23. Bf6 Bxe1 24. Rg7+ Kh6 {White resigned.}

[FEN "2nr4/5ppk/p1p4p/R3N3/P1b5/8/1B1n1PPP/2R3K1 w - - 0 28"]
28. Nxc6 Rd6 {We are see 8 pieces slog it out on an open board with White coming out of the fray a piece up. (I still have not work how but it happened.)} 29. Rc5 Nb3 30. R5xc4 Nxc1 31. Rxc1 Nb6 {OK White is piece up which usually on RHP means White is losing. And before you can say play 4. Be5 White forces Black to win the piece back.} 32. a5 Nc4 {White has found an ingenious way to lose a piece. So feeling proud of himself and back in control of the game White now spots a Knight on g6 and Rook on h8 mate.} 33. h4 Nxb2 34. h5 {That is g6 secured for the Knight.} 34... Rf6 35. Ne5 {Now White aims the Knight at f8.} 35... Rf5 36. Nd7 {That is Knight ready to hit f8 with a check.} 36... Rxa5 {The h5 pawn is being attacked. It must stay on the board so....} 37. g4 Nd3 38. Rc8 {At last White is ready to put his seven move checkmate plan into action.} 38... Ra2 {Black, in typical RHP fashion, is blissfully unaware of what is about to happen.} 39. Nf8+ Kh8 40. Ng6+ Kh7 41. Rh8 {I'm off to throw all my chess books into the canal. From now on I only study the games of Kermin.}

[FEN "2R1R3/3k4/8/8/8/8/3K4/2N1N3 w - - 0 1"]
1. Ncd3 {Most of Black’s move are only moves.} 1... Kd6 2. Ne5 Kd5 3. Nc4 Kd4 4. Kc2 {The White King gets out of the way to stop stalemates.} 4... Kd5 5. Kb2 Kd4 6. Nf3+ Kd3 7. Nh4 {This Knight takes up position to deliver a fatal check.} 7... Kd4 8. Ne3 {We are back to only moves for Black.} 8... Kd3 9. Nc2 Kd2 10. Ne1 Kd1 11. Ka2 {The King shifts to give Black access to c1 on move 13.} 11... Kd2 12. Nhf3+ Kd1 {Here you can switch on your computer because now it will find the mate in two moves.} 13. Nc2 {Black is forced into a discovered check.} 13... Kc1 14. Ne3 {Checkmate.}