Page 3 700 Opening Traps

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700 Opening Traps

Bill Wall

Center Game 

(1.e4 e5 2.d4)

This opening is one of the oldest openings in chess.  White tries to break up 

Black’s central strongpoint at the expense of bringing out the Queen early or 

giving up a pawn.

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 [the Danish Gambit] dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nf6 5.Bc4 Nxe4 

6.Bf4 Nxe4 7.Nd5 Qd8 8.Nxc7+ Ke7 9.Qd5 leads to mate (Wall - Duke, 

Internet 1997)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.O-O Nbd7 

8.e5 Nxe5 9.Nxe5 dxe5?? [9…Be6 is a little better] 10.Bxf7+ Ke7 [10…Kxf7 

11.Qxd8 wins the Queen] 11.Ba3+, now White wins the Queen after 11…

Kxf7 12.Qxd8 (Gibbs - Davie, England 1916)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Bc4 cxb2 5.Bxb2 Qg5 6.Nf3 Qxg2 7.Bxf7+ 

Kxf7 8.Rg1 Qh3 9.Ng5+ forking King and Queen (Wall - Van Guilder, 

Guam 1974)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 d5 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Bg5 Be6 6.e5 h6 [better is 6…Nc6] 

7.exf6 hxg5 8.fxg7 wins a piece (Kirby - Smith, Sunnyvale, CA 1985)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Nxd4 Nxd4 7.cxd4 Nf6 

8.Nc3 Bb4?? [the Queen must move] 9.Qa4+, winning the Bishop (Smith - 

Cohn, Hanover 1902)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qe2 Qe7 5.e5 d5? [Black should retreat with 

5…Ng8] 6.exf6 Qxe2+ 7.Bxe2 (Regan - Kichinski, Sunnyvale 1988)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.e5 d5 5.Bb3 Ne4 6.Ne2 Bc5 7.f3 Qh4+ 

8.g3 d3 9.gxh4?? [9.Qxd3 is best] 9…Bf2+ 10.Kf1 Bh3 mate  (Stevenson - 

Mariotti, Nottingham)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qa4 Qe7 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bg5 d5 7.O-O-O 

dxe4 8.Nxe4 Qxe4 9.Rd8+! Kxd8 10.Qxe4, wins the Queen (Wall - Davidson, 

Hickory, NC 1975)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qa4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d5 6.Bg5 dxe4 7.Nxe4 Qe7 

8.O-O-O Qxe4 [safer is 8…Bd7] 9.Rd8+! Kxd8 10.Qxe4 wins the Queen  

(Bronstein - Unknown, Sochi 1950)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 (4.Qc3?? Bb4 wins the Queen, Memo 

- Wall, Internet 1996) Nf6 5.Bc4 Ne5 6.Bb3 Bb4+  7.c3 Bc5 8.Qg3 Bxf2+! 

9.Kxf2 Nxe4+ winning the Queen (Unknown - Leonhardt, Leipzig 1903)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Qf6 4.Qe3 Nh6 5.Nc3 Ng4 6.Nd5 Qc6? [6…

Qd8 is better] 7.Qf4 [threatening 8.Nxc7+] 7…d6 8.Bb5 wins the Queen 

since 8…Qxb5 9.Nxc7 forks Queen and King (Barnett - Eastwood, Postal 

1949)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 exd4 4.Qxd4 dxe4 5.Nd5 c6 6.Qe5+ Kd7 7.Qf5+ 

Kd6?? [7…Ke8 looks like the only good move] 8.Bf4+ Kc5 9.b4+ Kd4 10.c3 

mate (Sas - Unknown, Sambor 1904)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 d6 3.c3 Bd7 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Qb3 Qe7 6.Qxb7 Bc6 7.Qc8+ Qd8 

8.Bxf7+! Ke7 9.Qe6 mate (Steinitz - Unknown, New York 1890)

1.e4 e5 2.d4 f6? (Black should just play 2...exd4) 3.dxe5 fxe5 4.Qh5+ g6 

5.Qxe5+ Ne7 6.Qxh8, winning the rook. (Wall - Kay, Internet 1996)

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