Page 3 700 Opening Traps

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Page 82

700 Opening Traps

Bill Wall

Scotch Opening 

(1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4) 

 

The Scotch Game has been around since 1750.  It got its name from a 

correspondence match  betwwen the London Chess Club and the Edinburgh 

Chess Club in Scotland.  The Edinburgh players used the opening to win the 

match and gave the opening its name.  The Scotch Opening has a lot of traps 

for both sides.  The Goring Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4) 

gives up a pawn for quick development.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.c3 dxc3 5.Bc4 Nf6 [5…Be7? 6.Qd5, Muratov 

- Zonov, Moscow 1985] 6.Nxc3 Bb4 7.e5 Ng4 8.Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Ng5+ Kg8?? 

[9…Ke8 had to be played] 10.Qd5+ Kf8 11.Qf7 mate (Casafus - Formanek, 

Lewisham 1981)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ [more common is 4...Nf6] 

5.c3 dxc3 6.Qd5 d6?? 7.Qxf7+ Kd7 8.Be6 mate  (Schachter - Grabowski, 

Germany 1985)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.c3 Nf6 6.b4 Bb6 7.e5 Ne4 8.b5 

dxc3? [perhaps 8…Na5] 9.Qd5 Bxf2+ 10.Ke2 threatening 11.Qxf7 mate and 

11.Qxe4 (Dowd - Roscher, Postal 1990)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 d6 5.c3 dxc3 6.Nxc3 Bg4 7.O-O Ne5? 

[Black should try 7…Bxf3 8.Qxf3 Ne5 and 9...Be7] 8.Nxe5+ Bxd1?? [8…

dxe5 9.Qxg4] 9.Bxf7+ Ke7 10.Nd5 mate (Falkbeer - Unknown, Vienna 

1947)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Be7 5.c3 dxc3? [5...Na5 is playable]  

6.Qd5 threatens 7.Qxf7.   If 6...Nh6, then 7.Bxh6 gxh6 8.Qxf7+ (DeVisser 

- Jennings, New York 1922) If 6...d6 7.Qxf7+ Kd7 8.Be6 mate  (Sandrin - 

Reames, Chicago 1989)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qh4?? [simply 5…bxc6] 

6.Nd4 and White is up a piece and prevents mate (Magem - G. Fernandez, 

Spain)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nxd4 5.Qxd4 Nf6 6.Bc4 Be7 7.e5 

c5 8.Qf4 and if the knight moves, Qxf7 mate (Wall - Burton, Wichita Falls, 

Texas 1971)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nge7 5.Nc3 g6? [Black should 

continue with 5…Nxd4] 6.Bg5 Bg7 7.Nd5 [threatening 8.Nxc6 and 9.Bxe7] 

7…Bxd4 8.Qxd4! Nxd4 9.Nf6+ Kf8 10.Bh6 mate (Hopkins - Unknown, 

London 1932)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4 5.Nc3 Nf6 [more common 

is 5...Bb4] 6.Nf5 Qh5 7.Be2 Qg6 8.Nh4, trapping the Queen (Frazer - 

Taubenhaus, Paris 1888)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bg5 [5.Bd3?? Nxd4  Lukelau - 

Wall, Internet 1996] 5…Be7 6.Nf5 d5? [6...O-O looks correct] 7.exd5 [White 

could also play 7.Nxg7+ Kf8 8.Bh6] 7...Ne5 8.Nxe7 [better is 8.Nxg7+] 8…

Qxe7 9.Bxf6?? [White should play 9.Qe2] 9…Nf3 mate (Miller - Chernev, 

New York 1935)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 f5 4.exf5 e4 5.Ne5 Nxe5 [perhaps Black should 

continue his development with 5...Nf6] 6.dxe5 d5 7.Qh5+ Ke7 8.Bg5+ Nf6 

9.exf6+ (Wall - Milkman, Internet 1996)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 f6 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 Ba5 6.dxe5 fxe5 7.Nxe5 Nxe5?? 

8.Qh5+ Nf7 (8...g6 9.Qxe5+) 9.Qxf7 mate (Jahn - Bayer, Germany 1992)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 Nf6 4.d5 Ne7 5.Nxe5 d6 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 Qa5+ 

8.Nc3  (Krumm - Mattern, Germany 1991)

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