Page 3 700 Opening Traps

Bird’s Opening 

(1.f4)

Bird’s opening was adopted by the English master Henry Bird (1830-1908) 

in 1873 who popularized this opening in the late 19

th

 century.  

1.f4 d5 2.b3 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.Bb5+ Nc6 5.d4?? [White should play 5.Nf3 or 

5.Bb2] 5…Qa5+ wins the Bishop (Schenkein - Rindlisbacher, Arosa 1990)

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.e3 e6 4.Bb5 Bd7 5.O-O a6 6.Be2 Bc5 7.d4 Bd6 8.c4 

Nge7 9.c5, winning a piece  (Wall - Oz, Internet 1996)

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.e3 d4 5.exd4 Nxd4 6.Bc4 Bg4 7.Ne5 Bxd1?? 

[best may be 7…e6] 8.Bxf7 mate (Wall - Velas, Internet 1997)

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.Nbd2 O-O 6.h3 c5 7.b3? Ng4 

(threatening 8...Bxa1) 8.Ne5 Nxe3, threatening the Queen.  If the Queen 

moves, then 9...Nxc2+ winning the rook (Martinez - Wall, Thailand 1974)

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 h5 3.g3 h4 4.Nxh4 e5 5.fxe5?? Rxh4! And if 6.gxh4 Qxh4 

mate (Kourtesis - Kotronias, Athens 1989)

1.f4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Qe2 Bf5 5.Qb5+ Bd7 6.Qxb7 Bc6 7.Bb5 

Qd7 8.Bxc6 Qxc6 9.Qc8 mate (Myers - Unknown, Iowa 1985)

1.f4 d5 2.h3 e5 3.g4?? Qh4 mate (Van Kessel - Rensen, 1990)

1.f4 Nf6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 Nxd5 4.d3 e5 5.fxe5 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Ne3 7.Qa4+ b5 

8.Qxb5+ Bd7 9.Qb7 Bc6 wins the Queen since 10.Qxb4 Nc2+ forks King 

and Queen (Quabeck - Heuacker, Frankfurt 1936)

1.f4 Nf6 2.e3 d5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.c4 Bf5 5.Na3 e6 6.b3 Bc5 7.d4? [best is 7.Nc2]  

7…Bb4+ 8.Nd2 Ne4 9.Nb1 Qh4+ wins, since 10.Ke2?? Qf2+ 11.Kd3 Nc5 

is mate and 10.g3 Nxg3 wins material (Knudsen - Richardson, Iowa 1973)

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