Learning chess by Traps and Zaps

~~robbie carrobie~~

Only Chess

17 Feb '11 15:58

~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
Joined
26 Aug '07
Moves
38239
18 Feb '11 00:433 edits
Originally posted by greenpawn34
[b] The Second Trap
You started off well Robbie but here you strayed of course.

Opening Traps are the cartoons of the Chess world.
The pie in the face, the bucket of water over the head, the banana skin.

You cannot show a trap and leave it with "...with a huge plus for white."

Who wants to see a huge plus?
I can see a huge plus when I lo xg7 12. Bh6+ Kg8 13. Rg6+ hxg6 {It does not matter how Black recaptures...} 14. Nf6[/pgn][/b]
Unclear?, unclear?, my trusty feer! how could that be so! I consider ...h5 to be a
desperado attempt to save the position! Saying that, I dont like the bad press that
traps get, they are an excellent way to learn to play chess ( i am on a crusade to
dispel the myth that Grandmasters play proper chess, they have held the chess
world to ransom for too long! We play coffee house chess, what good is their reams of analysis to us?
The sooner one realises this, the better) Anyhow, here is a line, that I consider a
refutation of ...h5. Does this trap have a name? I have played it twice myself with
success, and regardless of what 'deep and meaningful', stuff passes for 'proper
chess', it brought me great joy!

EVENT ?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [PlyCount "36
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments
[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [PlyCount "36"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. Qg4 Qf6 5. Nd5 Qxf2+ 6. Kd1 Kf8 7. Nh3 h5 { a thoroughly dubious and desperado attempt! the kind of move that one plays after a few 'jars', at Sandy Bells.} 8. Qg5 {The pressure is still on the black queen} Qd4 {All dressed up with nowhere to go.} 9. d3 Be7 {An interesting try to relieve the queen} 10. Qd2 Bd8 11. Ng5 {The planned Ng5! in conjuction with the rook and the bishop the rook coming to f1, happy days.} Nh6 {Desperately trying to defend f7} 12. Rf1 Ke8 13. Nxf7 {Zap!} Nxf7 14. Nxc7+ { A Double Zap worthy of the great Andersson himself!} Bxc7 15. Bxf7+ Kd8 16. Qg5+ Ne7 17. Qxg7 Bb6 18. Qxh8+ Kc7 {With a huge advantage for white} *
~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
Joined
26 Aug '07
Moves
38239
18 Feb '11 01:25
ok, here is another one! GreenPawns favourite defence to 1.e4, the Caro Khan.

Invert Board PGN Comments
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 {At this point its important to notice the weaknesses in white position! The pawn on f2 is weak, as is the pawn on c2, being defended only by the king and queen respectively. The knight on e4 is also undefended and the pawn on d4 is attacked once and defended once, which means that its undefended, in reality!} Nf6 {I am not sure if this is mainline CK or not, ...Bf5 springs to mind.} 5. Ng3 {A rather dubious chioce!} h5 {This starts the process of attacking the knight which has at present only one square of retreat} 6. Bg5 h4 7. Bxf6 {Ouch a huge positional blunder, the dark squares all over the board now become even weaker in whites position.} hxg3 8. Be5 Rxh2 9. Rxh2 Qa5+ 10. c3 Qxe5+ 11. dxe5 gxh2 12. Nf3 h1=Q *
National Master Dale
Joined
29 Aug '09
Moves
1574
18 Feb '11 09:48
This is the sneaky advanced version of the shilling trap.

Invert Board PGN
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nd4 6.d6 Qxd6 7.Nxf7 Qc6 8.Nxh8 Qxg2 9.Rf1 Qxe4 10.Be2 Nf3
greenpawn34
e4
Joined
06 May '08
Moves
42492
18 Feb '11 11:092 edits
Hi Dale.

That is a line from the Two Knights Defence.
The Shilling is a true 'trap'. marked out by 3...Nd4
You risk getting a bad position by going for a quick Knock Out.

Hi Robbie

Another busted trap. Trap 3

That Caro Khan (Schuster v Carls. Bremen 1914) Here:

White does not play play 10.c3 but 10.Qd2.

It just like studying openings.
Look at the move they suggest and give it a few tugs and tries to see if
it stands your test. Don't blindly accept.

Same with a trap. You have to test it, juggle with it. jump on it.

Traps of the Chessboard by Znosko-Borosky is littered with bust traps
that ZB failed to to correct or point out.
Look at traps 5, 9 & 10 for those who have the book.

Then you read in the intro it was a re-hash of PitFalls of the Chessboard
so the errors have been copied.

FEN rnb1kb2/pp2ppp1/2p5/q3B3/3P4/6p1/PPP2PPR/R2QKBN1 w Qq - 0 1
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[FEN "rnb1kb2/pp2ppp1/2p5/q3B3/3P4/6p1/PPP2PPR/R2QKBN1 w Qq - 0 1"]
1. Qd2 Qxe5+ {Best?} 2. dxe5 gxh2 3. O-O-O Bd7 4. e6 fxe6 5. Nh3 h1=Q 6. Bd3 {There is still a lot of chess left in that position. 6...Qxg2 7.Nf4!}
~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
Joined
26 Aug '07
Moves
38239
18 Feb '11 15:001 edit
sigh GP, must I provide more busts to your busts! Between you and I, if the truth be
known i have spent the better part of my adult life contemplating all types of busts! 😉

EVENT ?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2011.02.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Enter New Game"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [ECO "B15"] [PlyCount "24
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments
[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2011.02.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Enter New Game"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [ECO "B15"] [PlyCount "24"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Ng3 h5 6. Bg5 h4 7. Bxf6 hxg3 8. Be5 Rxh2 9. Rxh2 Qa5+ 10. Qd2 {This is reminiscent in some strange way of the Lasker trap in the Albin counter gambit, where black under promotes to a knight.} gxf2+ {Zing! no matter how white moves hes busted! Kd1 ...Qxd2} 11. Ke2 Qxd2+ 12. Kxd2 fxg1=Q *
~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
Joined
26 Aug '07
Moves
38239
18 Feb '11 15:24
Ok, this is a beautiful trap. It seems to me that the more closely a trap/zap follows
the main theoretical line, the more delicious it becomes!

EVENT ?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [PlyCount "25
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments
[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [PlyCount "25"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {The beginning of the Winnawer i believe, black immediately tries to pressure the centre. Fischer states of this opening that it is anti positional, for black is aiming to give up his dark squared bishop to mess up whites queenside pawns. It must be noted that the dark squared bishop is an incredible valuable piece for black given the pawn formation.} 4. e5 c5 {Black attacks in true Frenchie fashion. It must be noted that this move weakens the d6 square.} 5. a3 {Putting the question to the bishop and seeking to clarify its intentions.} Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 {seeking to put pressure on the undefended c pawn on c3} 7. Nf3 {The alternative to this move i think is Qg4 which seeks to attack the undefended black g pawn, although it leaves the c pawn weak} Nc6 8. Bd3 {trying to provoke ...c4 when whites weaknesses on the c file shall be minimal.} cxd4 9. cxd4 Nxd4 {A critical tactical mistake! Black has wrongly assessed the positional requirements as the c3 square is not truly weak!} 10. Nxd4 Qc3+ 11. Qd2 {Zing! This brilliant move indirectly protects the knight on d4 (...Qxd4?? Bb5 with discovered check) and the rook on a1 which cannot be taken without consequence. It must be noted that Bd2 hangs the knight and black is fine.} Qxa1 {A fatal mistake.} 12. c3 Ne7 13. Nb3 {a beautifully conceived trap!} *
Shallow Blue
Joined
18 Jan '07
Moves
12431
18 Feb '11 15:50
Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Normally in chess literature we are 'warned ', against learning traps, better to begin
at the endgame, it will yield the most benefit, as the game progresses, you will be
heading towards your area of strength etc etc 'Dont play traps, traps are bad!' It
struck me that nothing could be further from the truth, for a study of traps can yield
much good and what is more, they are fun!
Now, hold on, just hold on a minute, our dear Scottish friend - which do you want, mad, attacking opening traps, or the Colle? Back in 1925 you could have them both together, but not these days, me Caledonian matey. And certainly not on a correspondence site. Over the board doon't'pub, sure. But here, I rather think not. Time to make up your mind, methinks.

Richard
~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
Joined
26 Aug '07
Moves
38239
18 Feb '11 16:033 edits
Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Now, hold on, just hold on a minute, our dear Scottish friend - which do you want, mad, attacking opening traps, or the Colle? Back in 1925 you could have them both together, but not these days, me Caledonian matey. And certainly not on a correspondence site. Over the board doon't'pub, sure. But here, I rather think not. Time to make up your mind, methinks.

Richard
Great and illustrious Shallow Blue, perhaps you misunderstand my intent on posting opening traps? I am not actually advocating playing them (unless of course conditions are favourable), merely looking at them to ascertain what the conditions were that led to the successful execution of such. Its these tactical and positional elements, weak squares, weak pawns, colour complexes, development with initiative etc which I am interested in, the traps themselves are only a means to an end.

Also it appears to me not to matter where these are played, whether in the pub or in front of the pc, its the elements themselves which are of interest 🙂
greenpawn34
e4
Joined
06 May '08
Moves
42492
18 Feb '11 22:16
Hi Rob.

Yup tried a trap on you (perhasp should not have added 'best?'😉 😉
But you have to show these things.

Still not too happy with the examples.
A trap, the one you describe as being sneered at, should be an unsound move
that if it fails puts the trapper in a bad way.

In Trap 4 White is doing nothing wrong, just making good moves.
It is Black who slips up. If Black does not take the Rook then White is OK.

Next you will be saying 1.d4 d5 2.c4 is an opening trap if Black takes the pawn
and tries to hang on to it.

The Estrin Trap v The Dragon.
Now there is a double-edged move. If Black spots it you have nothing.
Though I have won and drawn when the guys never took the e-pawn.

You have to deliberatly make a bad move setting trap and hope
your opponent turns you bad move into a good move.
It's gamble.

Lost count of the Blitz games I've had with this very line
and I have mated in 8 moves OTB in a serious game.
Invert Board PGN Comments

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Nd5 {There it is. Fits the bill perfectly. An opening trap must look like a blunder and it must come from a standard often seen opening. No point in having a trick up sleeve if you are only going to get the chance to play it once every two years.} 6... Nxe4 7. Bb5+ Bd7 8. Qe2 Bxb5 {Yes 8...Nf6 and Nxf6 mate has been seen a few times.} 9. Nxb5 Qa5+ 10. b4 {1-0 or disconection at blitz.}
~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
Joined
26 Aug '07
Moves
38239
19 Feb '11 22:13
Originally posted by greenpawn34
Hi Rob.

Yup tried a trap on you (perhasp should not have added 'best?'😉 😉
But you have to show these things.

Still not too happy with the examples.
A trap, the one you describe as being sneered at, should be an unsound move
that if it fails puts the trapper in a bad way.

In Trap 4 White is doing nothing wrong, just making good moves.
It is ...[text shortened]... 6 mate has been seen a few times.} 9. Nxb5 Qa5+ 10. b4 {1-0 or disconection at blitz.}[/pgn]
Lol, trapping the trapper with these best? remarks, how delightfully cunning Mr
Greenpawn! Got any more Sicilian beauties, i liked the last one 🙂
ketchuplover
Isolated Pawn
Wisconsin USA
Joined
09 Dec '01
Moves
71169
20 Feb '11 12:301 edit
Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Ok, this is a beautiful trap. It seems to me that the more closely a trap/zap follows
the main theoretical line, the more delicious it becomes!

[pgn][Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "?"] [Black "?"] [Result "*"] [PlyCount "25"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 {The beginning of the Winnawer i believe, black immediately ...[text shortened]... a1 {A fatal mistake.} 12. c3 Ne7 13. Nb3 {a beautifully conceived trap!} *[/pgn]
What are the consequences to 13...Qxa1? tia (refers to post made at 10:24 on 2-18-11)
~~robbie carrobie~~
Account suspended
Joined
26 Aug '07
Moves
38239
20 Feb '11 16:28
Originally posted by ketchuplover
What are the consequences to 13...Qxa1? tia (refers to post made at 10:24 on 2-18-11)
that Blacks queen is trapped?

Only Chess Forum

Learning chess by Traps and Zaps