Here is a video produced by the Chess Ambassadors with IM Mike Basman and two chess ambassadors, Diya and Arjan, explaining a nasty opening trap that black can set in the opening. The trap springs from a very common opening position and we hope you can pick up some tips so that you don’t make the same mistakes that white makes here.
This trap involves an opening gambit from black who sacrifices their centre pawn on e5, but white should be wary of getting too greedy! Have a look and see what happens when the knight captures, threatening a deliver a fork on f7. It doesn’t go quite as planned!
Another option for white…
If you see these first few moves play out, as in the video, once black moves his knight to d4, you can always refuse to take the pawn and perhaps exchange the knights instead. The chess board is your oyster.
Be wary of snatching up undefended pawns in the opening. Unless your opponent is an absolute beginner, it might mean the beginning of the end in a horrid trap! When in doubt, you can always stick to a safer game, refuse the gambit, and continue play with safe developing moves.
Good luck!
We hope you have lots of fun checkmating your friends and make sure you don’t fall for the same tricks you can see here!
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