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Setting a trap

Setting a trap

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o
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Would love to see examples of setting a trap for your opponent - providing them with a move that LOOKS enticing but that has bad results.

Here's one that rescued me from a game that was otherwise heading for trouble.

Game 1394796

Black's last move looks great in many respects - save the knight, protect the bishop, capture a piece AND force the white queen to move... which it DOES.

😀

F

Annapolis MD

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Good set-up.

What is the line between a trap and a blunder?

J

back in business

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Originally posted by orfeo
Would love to see examples of setting a trap for your opponent - providing them with a move that LOOKS enticing but that has bad results.

Here's one that rescued me from a game that was otherwise heading for trouble.

Game 1394796

Black's last move looks great in many respects - save the knight, protect the bishop, capture a piece AND force the white queen to move... which it DOES.

😀
okay . I dont think that one can be called a trap. I would call it "huge blunder" by black.

Ragnorak
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Originally posted by orfeo
Would love to see examples of setting a trap for your opponent - providing them with a move that LOOKS enticing but that has bad results.

Here's one that rescued me from a game that was otherwise heading for trouble.

Game 1394796

Black's last move looks great in many respects - save the knight, protect the bishop, capture a piece AND force the white queen to move... which it DOES.

😀
I dunno if that's a trap. Looks more like a blunder to me as g6 would have had you in huge trouble.

D

[EDIT] Jusuh beat me too it.

Ragnorak
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I'm not sure if this is a trap either. Or just a plain aul sham sacrifice...

Game 1236382

D

o
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Originally posted by Ragnorak
I dunno if that's a trap. Looks more like a blunder to me as g6 would have had you in huge trouble.

D

[EDIT] Jusuh beat me too it.
Well, it's a trap because I dangled bait, and he took it.

You've lost me as to why g6 would have me in trouble. Please elaborate.

Ragnorak
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Originally posted by orfeo
Well, it's a trap because I dangled bait, and he took it.

You've lost me as to why g6 would have me in trouble. Please elaborate.
21...g6

22. Qg4 Nxe3 and you lose your 2nd Rook for a knight
22. Qe2 Nxg3 and you'll end up, after some exchanges, a full Rook down.

Whichever way it goes, your opponent can also get doubled pawns and open up your King by taking your knight with his bishop.

So basically he could have still taken at least the dangled bishop while wiping you off the board instead of getting checkmated. So I think he blundered because he didn't take advantage of your trap blunder.

D

Marinkatomb
wotagr8game

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Game 1295721

Move 26..Bf6 is a trap. It allows the king to take the b-pawn but blocks him in that file. Once the rook checks he's in no-mans land and an easy target... I like this game 🙂

o
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Originally posted by Ragnorak
21...g6

22. Qg4 Nxe3 and you lose your 2nd Rook for a knight
22. Qe2 Nxg3 and you'll end up, after some exchanges, a full Rook down.

Whichever way it goes, your opponent can also get doubled pawns and open up your King by taking your knight with his bishop.

So basically he could have still taken at least the dangled bishop while wiping you off ...[text shortened]... heckmated. So I think he blundered because he didn't take advantage of your trap blunder.

D
Fair enough.

You've got to bear in mind though that:

(a) I was in trouble already, not a lot to lose
(b) To some extent I can gamble on opponents of equal rank not having much more foresight than I do! We're playing down in the lower ranks here!

Ro

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Game 1278120

On move 30 by Black (me), I took the pawn on a3, aware that the white bishop can take my pawn in retaliation and thereby attack my rook. Looks tempting and White did in fact take the option. However, I am pretty sure that, whatever White does after this, the game is lost or, at the very least, leads to overwhelming material advantage.

Things were aleady quite difficult for Black and it may be that the game was already won. However, I don't think that stops a trap being a trap.

I have fallen in many traps, of course, but I can't bear to relive them all over again. It's just too painful.

Actually, if I can summon the courage, I will post a game against my brother where he sticks up three pawns, all unguarded and all of which I can take. Taking any of them leads to certain defeat. And, yes, I did take one of them and it was a huge blunder. In fact, I certainly picked the worst option.

Ro

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Game 1083498

Probably my favourite trap to date, though probably only because it arises out of a castling, thereby perhaps making it seem more likely to my opponent that I may have missed something.

On White's move 14, I castle, leaving a nice juicy "fork" of my queen and rook.

SS

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powershaker

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With good development and position, the tactics will come, as Morphy surmised.

kjl291

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If we are being technical, anytime you fall into a trap you have blundered, so I wouldn't quibble too much between the two, if your "trap" makes your distracts your opponent and makes him take his eye off the ball and therefore he blunders.

o
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Originally posted by kjl291
If we are being technical, anytime you fall into a trap you have blundered, so I wouldn't quibble too much between the two, if your "trap" makes your distracts your opponent and makes him take his eye off the ball and therefore he blunders.
EXACTLY.

This is what I was coming back here to say. In non-chess contexts, you talk about someone walking into a trap, or blundering into a trap. The fact that someone blundered doesn't mean there isn't a trap!

A blunder pure and simple would be something that I didn't encourage my opponent to do. But I quite deliberately left him with some attractive bait.

If he hadn't taken it, the trap would have failed and I would be in trouble. So what? Isn't that often what happens when traps fail?

To anyone who thinks this wasn't a trap, I'd also love to hear your suggestions as to how else I might have won the game after MY blunder of losing my rook.

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