What's your favorite opening trap?

I use 2 traps:
against CK 4.h4 e6?? 5.g4! like here Game 9168704
against RL Game 1485245

Originally posted by elady
I use 2 traps:
against CK 4.h4 e6?? 5.g4! like here Game 9168704

Erm... game in progress.

Besides, it's not really a trap if it relies on your opponent blundering before rather than after you set the trap.

Richard

Originally posted by elady
I use 2 traps:

Oh, and my favourite opening trap is the Sicilian. Someone just played the Cochrane against me again. Why do they do it?

Richard

Elasy has fallen for the Posting Opening Trap by posting a G.I.P. 🙂

I have won loads of Queens with the trap in the Milner Barry Advanced French.


Black plays 7..Nxd4 8.Nxd4 Qxd4 9.Bb5+

But playing Bd3 is not really a true opening trap, although is White comitted
to a pawn gambit. It is a recognised gambit. A true opening trap must have a
serious flaw if it is spotted. Not a Trap en passant like the so called Elephant Trap.

I went into great detail about it here.

It was Opening trap No. 73 with Prof Natterjack

http://www.redhotpawn.com/blog/blogread.php?blogpostid=84

The Greenhorn trap. (my invention) is a real trap. A man's trap.

To save you going there here is that section of the Blog.

After the opening moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5


A common Black move is this position is 4…Nbd7 and is mistakenly called by
many players the Elephant Trap. It goes likes this.



However 4…Nbd7 is not an Opening Trap. It is a perfectly valid move and if White
should not blunder and refrain from winning the d-pawn then there is no visible
harm to the Black position.
The correct criteria for setting an opening trap is that the trap setting move must
contain an element of risk should your opponent not fall for it.
(That is why all the good writers tell you not to set them....I on the other hand...)

On RHP the position after 4…Nbd7 has arisen over 890 times.
42 White players have blundered and taken the d-pawn.
The remaining 850 games are split 50-50 giving a clear indication that 4…Nbd7 is
playable and not unsound.

A proper opening trap must have a flaw.
The correct way to go for this trap (it needs a new the name…The Greenhorn)
is to face the loss of the d-pawn should White spot the flaw.

Instead of 4….Nbd7 The Greenhorn Trap is 4…..Bd6!?


The trap now goes:



Should White spot the hole in the trap he can safely win the d-pawn.
This is the element of risk that all opening traps should carry.
Should it fail then the setter will be material down or have wasted time
to the detriment of his position.



We have seen that 42 players have fallen for the so called Elephant Trap.
On RHP 4…Bd6 has been played only three times and this position after the moves:
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bd6 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nxd5


Has been seen only once!
A chief principle of an opening trap is that is must be relatively unknown.

That one game was stammer - AJAXO RHP 2004 and here.


Black missed 6…Nxd5. He played instead 6….Be7 and the games was drawn on move 63.
Game 369789

So get out there and give the Greenhorn a try.

Originally posted by elady
I use 2 traps:
against CK 4.h4 e6?? 5.g4! like here Game 9168704
against RL Game 1485245

As black I do like to take the "gambit" pawn against the QG and keep it. Yet, I commonly will delay accepting a little and with a c6 slav-type defense, and then b5. Though white has the a4.

Taking the queens gambit pawn and trying to keep it actually became kind of obsession of mine for a while, and I lost games because of it. After all, it is not really a true gambit pawn, and most white players including stronger players know how to recover it.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
After the opening moves: 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5

A common Black move is this position is 4…Nbd7 and is mistakenly called by many players the Elephant Trap.

However 4…Nbd7 is not an Opening Trap. It is a perfectly valid move and if White should not blunder and refrain from winning the d-pawn then there is no visible harm to the Black po ...[text shortened]... ng 850 games are split 50-50 giving a clear indication that 4…Nbd7 is playable and not unsound.

It is, in fact, a perfectly well known theory move. Euwe calls it the "half-orthodox"; the most well-known variations springing from it are the Manhattan and the Cambridge Springs. The latter in particular was very popular in Lasker's time, and to some extent still is.

Richard