Originally posted by Exuma
OK I just snorted my coffee out. LOL the French Trap

The French Trap is the only chess trap you play on yourself.

Originally posted by clandarkfire
I pretty much gave up the french because I got tired of the exchange variation.

I took up the exchange variation because I was tired of the French.

Originally posted by clandarkfire
Yeah, but I was referring to the exchange variation. I pretty much gave up the french because I got tired of the exchange variation.

I now play the French, and like you I got fed up with the Exchange Variation (Also, for whatever reason, I come across a lot of blitz players opting for 2. Nf3 instead of the normal 2. d4). So I turned to my best friend, Google and came across an article written by Jim West on the line and he gave a new idea I hadn't seen or considered.

He suggests Bd6, Ne7 and pawn f6 with the idea of stopping Ne5 and supporting Bf5 to trade off black's bad bishop for white's good one.

http://jimwestonchess.blogspot.com/2007/01/french-defense-exchange-variation.html

A couple of days ago, however, I ran into trouble after:

1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. exd5 exd5
4. Nf3 Bd6
5. Bd3 Ne7
6. 0-0 f6
7. Re1 0-0
8. c4 c6
9. Qc2



and now I can't play the critical Bf5 that Mr. West sugests. Where was my mistake? It was a blitz game, and unable to find anything useful quickly I played 9. ... h6? and my position collapsed accordingly.

Originally posted by Big Orange Country
I now play the French, and like you I got fed up with the Exchange Variation (Also, for whatever reason, I come across a lot of blitz players opting for 2. Nf3 instead of the normal 2. d4). So I turned to my best friend, Google and came across an article written by Jim West on the line and he gave a new idea I hadn't seen or considered.

He sug ...[text shortened]... e to find anything useful quickly I played 9. ... h6? and my position collapsed accordingly.

8 ... dc4!

Originally posted by chessicle
8 ... dc4!

that seems the only quick way out... but after ...dxc4 Bxc4+ Kh8 Nc3 white is ahead in development and black's pawns on c6 and f6 are cramping his position, so black really wants to try to keep things closed to semi-closed for a while whilst he coordinates his pieces.

Originally posted by Big Orange Country
I now play the French, and like you I got fed up with the Exchange Variation (Also, for whatever reason, I come across a lot of blitz players opting for 2. Nf3 instead of the normal 2. d4). So I turned to my best friend, Google and came across an article written by Jim West on the line and he gave a new idea I hadn't seen or considered.

He sug e to find anything useful quickly I played 9. ... h6? and my position collapsed accordingly.

Your f pawn must weigh a million pounds since you couldn't pick it up and put it on f5. 😛 but if you really wanna trade that bishop off then ...Bf5 instead of ...c6 so 8...Bf5 9.Bxf5 Nxf5 10.cxd5 c6 11.dxc6 Nxc6

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Every trap is worth a roll of the dice.

1.e4 d5 2.d4!! the counter trap.

A new one I've seen on another forum which does not really damage the Black position..

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. d3 d6 4. g3 Nd4!?

[fen]r1bqkbnr/pp2pppp/3p4/2p5/3nP3/2NP2P1/PPP2P1P/R1BQKBNR w KQkq - 0 5[/fen]

And White wants to challenge the Knight. 5.Nf3 and they see Bg4
pinning the f3 Knight so they play 5.Nge2??

No known victim yet - but give it time.

This is funny, might have to try that in Blitz sometime.