Page 3 700 Opening Traps

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700 Opening Traps

Bill Wall

Latvian Gambit 

(1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5)

This opening used to be called the Greco Counter Gambit until Latvian 

analysts revived it in the 1920s.  The opening can lead to wild play.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nc3 d6 4.d4 Nf6 5.dxe5 Nxe4 6.Nxe4 fxe4 7.Ng5 Bf5?? 

[7…d5 or 7…Nc6 are better alternatives] 8.Qd5 [threatening 9.Qf7 mate] 

8…Qd7 9.Qxb7 wins the Rook (Sergeant - Senneck, England 1946)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bc4 Nc6 4.d4 Qe7 5.O-O fxe4 6.Ng5 Nf6 7.Bf7+ Kd8 

8.dxe5 Nxe5 9.Ne6 (Gunderam - Grava, Postal 1970)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Bc4 d5 4.Bxd5 Nf6 5.Bb3 Nxe4 6.Nxe5 Nxf2?? 7.Qh5+ 

g6 8.Bf7+ Ke7 9.Qg5+ wins the Queen (Robins - Anders, Postal 1970)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Nd5 Qd8 

8.Nd4 Ne7 9.Nxf6 c6?? [perhaps 9…g6 is Black’s best move] 10.Nd6 mate 

(Kranzle - Krause, Mannheim 1939)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.d4 fxe4 4.Nxe5 d6? 5.Qh5+ Ke7?? [now 5…g6 had to be 

played] 6.Qf7 mate (Unknown - Cornelissen, Eindhoven 1974)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qe7 4.Qh5+ g6 5.Nxg6 Qxe4+ 6.Kd1 Nf6 7.Qh3 

hxg6 8.Qxh8 Ng4 9.Qh4?? [perhaps 9.d3 Nxf2+ 10.Kd2] 9…Ne3+, winning 

the Queen after 10…Qxh4 (analysis by Greco, 1620)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qe7 4.Qh5+ g6 5.Nxg6 Qxe4+ 6.Be2 Nf6 7.Qf3?? 

[7.Qh3 maintains White’s advantage after 7…gxh6 8.Qxh8] 7…hxg6 and 

Black is a piece up [Sitter-Wall, Internet 1997]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f5 3.Nxe5 Qf6 4.d4 d6 5.Nf3 fxe4 6.Bg5? [White is going to 

be left with two pieces hanging.  Better is 6.Ng5] 6…Qg6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.Bxe7 

exf3 9.Qxf3 Nxe7 wins a piece for Black (Deronne - Gedult, Paris 1975)