Bs"d
Here a nice miniature, thanks to a Stafford gambit: https://lichess.org/FEhX0N1c5RTj Mate on move 13.
That's the way I like it!
http://tinyurl.com/funny-game
Bs"d
Got a Stafford gambit against an 1863, not exactly a raw beginner: https://lichess.org/qsJLwA4PE6Gm
As usually, I played it horribly wrong, but still mated him on move 11.
The Stafford gambit is very forgiving. :)
On 3/2/2021 1:58 PM, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Got a Stafford gambit against an 1863, not exactly a raw beginner: https://lichess.org/qsJLwA4PE6Gm
As usually, I played it horribly wrong, but still mated him on move 11.
The Stafford gambit is very forgiving. :)It's wonderful to see all the games you win. Just when I thought I might forget the moves you made, you refresh my memory.
Bs"d
Bagged another innocent victim with the Stafford gambit: https://lichess.org/eUH8kJ8aDtSo
He saw he was going to lose his queen, and he resigned.
On move 7.
On 3/26/2021 6:22 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Bagged another innocent victim with the Stafford gambit: https://lichess.org/eUH8kJ8aDtSo
He saw he was going to lose his queen, and he resigned.
On move 7.Thanks you for posting this. I've never seen a game anything like this before!
--
Ken
Bs"d
And here somebody fell victim to the mate of Legal: https://lichess.org/uapS8Nf4eQkR
I offered him my queen, he accepted, after which I took his king.
Of course nobody is obligated to study opening traps, but punishment comes after the sin.
Just saying.
https://tinyurl.com/queen-sac-striking
Bs"d
So the enemy played a Caro-Kann against me: https://lichess.org/qwLeBRMzyYlJ so I released upon him my Caro-Kann trap.
So I ignored the attack on my queen, and threatened mate with a bishop of mine. The enemy overlooked the second mate, and took queen.
Then I mated him on move 10.
Does anybody here think it is unethical to play opening traps?
Bs"d
The enemy played against me the Scandinavian defense. I decided to give him my e4 pawn, the Tennison gambit: https://lichess.org/TKNklj6ES9F1
Really I should say: The TRAPPY Tennison gambit. Because it's a kind of trappy. He fell for the trap. He had to part with an exchange in the opening.
He surrendered unconditionally on move 13.
https://tinyurl.com/gent-man
On Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 12:42:07 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
So the enemy played a Caro-Kann against me: https://lichess.org/qwLeBRMzyYlJ so I released upon him my Caro-Kann trap.Many years ago Al Horowitz won a tournament game basically the same way. I have won many
speed games with this line.
Nc3 is not a trap, but a perfectly fine move with a drop of poison
in it. Black can easily get into trouble - even if he doesn't crash and burn as this guy did, there are other ways to go wrong.
It worked better then usual. The enemy, an 1800 player, stopped my first attempt to mate him with my queen, by blocking the mate with a pawn, which right away attacked my queen.
So I ignored the attack on my queen, and threatened mate with a bishop of mine. The enemy overlooked the second mate, and took queen.
Then I mated him on move 10.
Does anybody here think it is unethical to play opening traps?No. And the above is no trap. Your opponent could have looked the line up before playing it. Failing that, how is he going to learn if you don't teach him lessons? I assume he won't be falling for this line again, and may try Nc3 himself in future.
On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 1:54:02 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
On Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 12:42:07 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Bs"dSo the enemy played a Caro-Kann against me: https://lichess.org/qwLeBRMzyYlJ so I released upon him my Caro-Kann trap.Many years ago Al Horowitz won a tournament game basically the same way. I have won many
speed games with this line.
A kindred spirit who loves to play trappy gambits!
Nc3 is not a trap, but a perfectly fine move with a drop of poison
in it. Black can easily get into trouble - even if he doesn't crash and burn as this guy did, there are other ways to go wrong.
It worked better then usual. The enemy, an 1800 player, stopped my first attempt to mate him with my queen, by blocking the mate with a pawn, which right away attacked my queen.
So I ignored the attack on my queen, and threatened mate with a bishop of mine. The enemy overlooked the second mate, and took queen.
Then I mated him on move 10.
I like it very much to educate those people who are ignorant, if not of that trap, than that line with a drop, or maybe a bucket, of poison in it. (isn't that what is called a 'trap'?)Does anybody here think it is unethical to play opening traps?No. And the above is no trap. Your opponent could have looked the line up before playing it. Failing that, how is he going to learn if you don't teach him lessons? I assume he won't be falling for this line again, and may try Nc3 himself in future.
On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 6:25:34 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 1:54:02 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
On Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 12:42:07 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Bs"dSo the enemy played a Caro-Kann against me: https://lichess.org/qwLeBRMzyYlJ so I released upon him my Caro-Kann trap.Many years ago Al Horowitz won a tournament game basically the same way. I have won many
speed games with this line.
A kindred spirit who loves to play trappy gambits!
Nc3 is not a trap, but a perfectly fine move with a drop of poison
in it. Black can easily get into trouble - even if he doesn't crash and burn as this guy did, there are other ways to go wrong.
It worked better then usual. The enemy, an 1800 player, stopped my first attempt to mate him with my queen, by blocking the mate with a pawn, which right away attacked my queen.
So I ignored the attack on my queen, and threatened mate with a bishop of mine. The enemy overlooked the second mate, and took queen.
Then I mated him on move 10.
The above Mr Horowitz, along with Fred Reinfeld, once wrote a book called:I like it very much to educate those people who are ignorant, if not of that trap, than that line with a drop, or maybe a bucket, of poison in it. (isn't that what is called a 'trap'?)Does anybody here think it is unethical to play opening traps?No. And the above is no trap. Your opponent could have looked the line up before playing it. Failing that, how is he going to learn if you don't teach him lessons? I assume he won't be falling for this line again, and may try Nc3 himself in future.
"Chess Traps, Pitfalls and Swindles" which, among other things, attempts to distinguish between
these three categories.
It is not a book about opening traps (though there are a few) so don't buy (or download) it expecting
to add to your armory. But it is a fun book.
It was the first real chess book I studied, and has had a certain effect on my play ever since, even
though I am basically a positional player. Of the three categories the swindle is the one I use
most, since that can only come from a lost position, and I get plenty of lost positions.
You find it fun turning an even game into a win with an opening trap. It's twice as much fun turning
a lost game into a win. But first you have to get a lost game, which is not fun. But I am a natural
at it.
On Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 1:46:18 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:future.
On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 6:25:34 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 1:54:02 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
On Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 12:42:07 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Bs"dSo the enemy played a Caro-Kann against me: https://lichess.org/qwLeBRMzyYlJ so I released upon him my Caro-Kann trap.Many years ago Al Horowitz won a tournament game basically the same way. I have won many
speed games with this line.
A kindred spirit who loves to play trappy gambits!
Nc3 is not a trap, but a perfectly fine move with a drop of poison
in it. Black can easily get into trouble - even if he doesn't crash and burn as this guy did, there are other ways to go wrong.
It worked better then usual. The enemy, an 1800 player, stopped my first attempt to mate him with my queen, by blocking the mate with a pawn, which right away attacked my queen.
So I ignored the attack on my queen, and threatened mate with a bishop of mine. The enemy overlooked the second mate, and took queen.
Then I mated him on move 10.
Does anybody here think it is unethical to play opening traps?No. And the above is no trap. Your opponent could have looked the line up before playing it. Failing that, how is he going to learn if you don't teach him lessons? I assume he won't be falling for this line again, and may try Nc3 himself in
I like it very much to educate those people who are ignorant, if not of that trap, than that line with a drop, or maybe a bucket, of poison in it. (isn't that what is called a 'trap'?)The above Mr Horowitz, along with Fred Reinfeld, once wrote a book called:
"Chess Traps, Pitfalls and Swindles" which, among other things, attempts to distinguish between
these three categories.
It is not a book about opening traps (though there are a few) so don't buy (or download) it expectingBs"d
to add to your armory. But it is a fun book.
That book is standing right here, in my chess book collection.
It was the first real chess book I studied, and has had a certain effect on my play ever since, even
though I am basically a positional player. Of the three categories the swindle is the one I use
most, since that can only come from a lost position, and I get plenty of lost positions.
You find it fun turning an even game into a win with an opening trap. It's twice as much fun turningI think I have the solution for that one, for getting lost positions. What I advise is that you only play against opponents who are at least 200 points weaker than you, that makes a big difference in the amount of lost positions you'll get.
a lost game into a win. But first you have to get a lost game, which is not fun. But I am a natural
at it.
On Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 6:30:25 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:future.
On Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 1:46:18 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 6:25:34 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
On Monday, August 2, 2021 at 1:54:02 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
On Sunday, August 1, 2021 at 12:42:07 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Bs"dSo the enemy played a Caro-Kann against me: https://lichess.org/qwLeBRMzyYlJ so I released upon him my Caro-Kann trap.Many years ago Al Horowitz won a tournament game basically the same way. I have won many
speed games with this line.
A kindred spirit who loves to play trappy gambits!
Nc3 is not a trap, but a perfectly fine move with a drop of poison in it. Black can easily get into trouble - even if he doesn't crash and burn as this guy did, there are other ways to go wrong.
It worked better then usual. The enemy, an 1800 player, stopped my first attempt to mate him with my queen, by blocking the mate with a pawn, which right away attacked my queen.
So I ignored the attack on my queen, and threatened mate with a bishop of mine. The enemy overlooked the second mate, and took queen.
Then I mated him on move 10.
Does anybody here think it is unethical to play opening traps?No. And the above is no trap. Your opponent could have looked the line up before playing it. Failing that, how is he going to learn if you don't teach him lessons? I assume he won't be falling for this line again, and may try Nc3 himself in
I like it very much to educate those people who are ignorant, if not of that trap, than that line with a drop, or maybe a bucket, of poison in it. (isn't that what is called a 'trap'?)The above Mr Horowitz, along with Fred Reinfeld, once wrote a book called:
"Chess Traps, Pitfalls and Swindles" which, among other things, attempts to distinguish between
these three categories.
It is not a book about opening traps (though there are a few) so don't buy (or download) it expectingBs"d
to add to your armory. But it is a fun book.
That book is standing right here, in my chess book collection.
It was the first real chess book I studied, and has had a certain effect on my play ever since, even
though I am basically a positional player. Of the three categories the swindle is the one I use
most, since that can only come from a lost position, and I get plenty of lost positions.
I was a pretty good speed player at one point, circa 2000. But then I moved to a small town where thereYou find it fun turning an even game into a win with an opening trap. It's twice as much fun turningI think I have the solution for that one, for getting lost positions. What I advise is that you only play against opponents who are at least 200 points weaker than you, that makes a big difference in the amount of lost positions you'll get.
a lost game into a win. But first you have to get a lost game, which is not fun. But I am a natural
at it.
were few players at my level, and they didn't play often. When I returned home two years later I discovered
that I was now a really crappy speed player. It took me six months to get rid of the bad habits acquired
playing only weaker opponents and regain my 2000 strength.
Many years later my last tournament game was against a player 150 points weaker. I was nowhere in the opening, just dozed while he gained more and more space. Eventually he won a piece. I can easily get lost
positions against weaker players. Sometimes it's like I am not really at the board.
I considered resigning, but this was g/120 and he had only twenty five minutes to win the game. Admittedly, I had only ten (I moved both badly and slowly). He got a bit too ambitious, I sacked
a knight, won a ton of material and the game. It was a satisfying win - somehow it is especially
fun to sacrifice material when you are already down - but a poor game.
But there was a lesson there. When you have won material, it's time for a little caution. One
consolidating move by him, moving his rook from a8 to c8 or d8, and I'd have had no play. Instead,
eager to win, he began a pawn advance which weakened his centre.
Bs"d
Just got myself another mate of Legal, which resulted in a mate on move 8, after a queen sacrifice.
I offered the enemy my queen, the enemy jumped upon her with the speed of a vulture diving upon a rotting carcass. I proceeded to mate the enemy in 2 moves: https://lichess.org/yIs9aVZWlpTS
On Thursday, August 5, 2021 at 1:59:50 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Just got myself another mate of Legal, which resulted in a mate on move 8, after a queen sacrifice.
I offered the enemy my queen, the enemy jumped upon her with the speed of a vulture diving upon a rotting carcass. I proceeded to mate the enemy in 2 moves: https://lichess.org/yIs9aVZWlpTS
In the North of England they used to call this Blackburne's mate. Not because he invented it, but
because he probably played it more often than any other person. Tournaments were rare in those
days, and Blackburne kept himself in whiskey through simul tours of the UK for many months of the
year. He once estimated that while on tour he gave Legal's mate several times a week.
At one point he claimed to have played over 50,000 otb games (no speed) and at this point his
career had thirty more years to run.
Bs"dhis queen. If the opponents ignores the queen, but instead play Nxe5, then white is a horse down, and that is not good.
Just got myself another mate of Legal, which resulted in a mate on move 8, after a queen sacrifice.
I offered the enemy my queen, the enemy jumped upon her with the speed of a vulture diving upon a rotting carcass. I proceeded to mate the enemy in 2 moves: https://lichess.org/yIs9aVZWlpTS
For your convenience and safety I repeat here the warning I posted above before:
A word of warning concerning the mate of Legal.
If somebody wants to play that queen sacrifice, and after the preliminary moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4 he wants to smack his horse into e5, he must know that chess is not checkers, meaning that the opponent is not obligated to take
White can then take the bishop on g4, but then black takes the unprotected bishop on c4, and white remains a horse down.sacrificing the queen. Still black can refuse the queen, and take the white horse on e5 with his horse from c6. But then the white queen takes the bishop on h5. And then still the black horse on e5 can take the unprotected bishop on c4, but now there is
And that is the reason that on move 5 I didn't right away let my horse smack in on e5, but I first played the crucial move h3. After that the enemy retreated his bishop to h5, and then the coast was clear for my horse smacking in on e5, and thereby
So the move 5. h3 is absolutely crucial, because the mate of Legal is quite well known, and if you try it against somebody who knows it, and you don't play first h3, you most likely will be a horse down, and that's not good.
So know your theory, and you'll be fine and dandy, and even win regularly a nice miniature, like the one above of 8 moves.
Good luck!
https://tinyurl.com/Q-trap-thank-U
Bs"dbecause I had two queens, and he was about to lose his only queen, which would give me a 20 point advantage. I guess he didn't feel like playing on without a queen while I had two of 'm.
This freshly played game https://lichess.org/ME1RmhJ34gqi ended on move 14. I guess that counts as a miniature. It is a beautiful heart warming but unfortunately seldom occurring variation of the four horses game. The opponent resigned on move 14
What happened to fighting spirit?
https://tinyurl.com/tramp-checkers
On Wednesday, September 23, 2020 at 12:39:16 PM UTC+3, Eli Kesef wrote:because I had two queens, and he was about to lose his only queen, which would give me a 20 point advantage. I guess he didn't feel like playing on without a queen while I had two of 'm.
Bs"d
This freshly played game https://lichess.org/ME1RmhJ34gqi ended on move 14. I guess that counts as a miniature. It is a beautiful heart warming but unfortunately seldom occurring variation of the four horses game. The opponent resigned on move 14
somehow that is enough for the enemy to surrender:What happened to fighting spirit?
https://tinyurl.com/tramp-checkers
Bs"d
And I got another one, almost exactly a year later, another four horses, in which I get an extra queen on move 14, and the enemy is going to lose his queen on move 15, and his king is out in the open, running towards the middle of the board, and
https://lichess.org/GzGmDOKYDFUx
Sometimes the four horses game is not boring at all!
https://tinyurl.com/4-horses-opening
Bs"dgoing to happen, but that still leaves a few nice ones. GM Igor Smirnov says that even when the enemy doesn't fall for your trap, you're still left with a good position.
So like I said, I'm stepping away from the Englund gambit, and switching to the Budapest gambit. The Englund is too well known nowadays, and it is inherently bad. When the enemy knows what he is doing, then you end up with a rotten position.
The Budapest doesn't have those drawbacks. It has about 11 traps in it. That sounds worse than it is. One is bad, if the enemy sees through it, you lose a piece, so that is unusable. Others demand such weird play from the enemy that it is just not
I had a nice Budapest the other day, it lasted 8 moves. It was a weird game, never played a Budapest like that.
The enemy didn't see the fatal tactic. He thought he was simply going to win a horse, but then he lost his queen for a horse and bishop, and he resigned: https://lichess.org/cDKzunaHQsIb
I'm studying the Budapest a lot, and hope to become quite proficient in it.
Trappy gambits rock!
https://tinyurl.com/Learn-4-Buda-traps
On Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 2:54:03 PM UTC+3, Eli Kesef wrote:his queen. If the opponents ignores the queen, but instead play Nxe5, then white is a horse down.
Bs"d
And here somebody fell victim to the mate of Legal: https://lichess.org/uapS8Nf4eQkR
I offered him my queen, he accepted, after which I took his king.
Of course nobody is obligated to study opening traps, but punishment comes after the sin.
Just saying.
https://tinyurl.com/queen-sac-strikingBs"d
A word of warning concerning the mate of Legal.
If somebody wants to play that queen sacrifice, and after the preliminary moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Bg4 he wants to smack his horse into e5, he must know that chess is not checkers, meaning that the opponent is not obligated to take
White can then take the bishop on g4, but then black takes the unprotected bishop on c4, and white remains a horse down.queen. Still black can refuse the queen, and take the white horse on e5 with his horse from c6. But then the white queen takes the bishop on h5. And then still the black horse on e5 can take the unprotected bishop on c4, but now there is a cure. Because
And that is the reason that on move 5 I didn't let my horse smack in on e5, but I played the crucial move h3. After that the enemy retreated his bishop to h5, and then the coast was clear for my horse smacking in on e5, and thereby sacrificing the
So the move 5. h3 is absolutely crucial, because the mate of Legal is quite well known, and if you try it against somebody who knows it, and you don't play first h3, you most likely will be a horse down.
And that's bad,
So know your theory, and you'll be fine, and even win regularly a nice miniature, like the one above of 8 moves.
Good luck!
https://tinyurl.com/Q-trap-thank-U
Bs"d
And here another victim who was not familiar with the Fishing Pole trap: https://lichess.org/JTq9DZqBcUrF
The enemy surrendered on move 13; mate in maximum two moves was unavoidable.
https://tinyurl.com/fishing-pole
On Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 12:28:52 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:pointless but at least you weren't ignoring a threat.
Bs"d
And here another victim who was not familiar with the Fishing Pole trap: https://lichess.org/JTq9DZqBcUrF
The enemy surrendered on move 13; mate in maximum two moves was unavoidable.
https://tinyurl.com/fishing-poleThere were twenty five moves (half moves, if you want to get technical) in this game. Eight of them were by rook pawns. Almost one third of the moves, though each side has fourteen units that are not rook pawns.
The award for worst move with a rook pawn goes to him, of course, in his capture of your bishop. Second prize goes to his a-pawn move, a pointless exercise when he was already under threat on the other side of the board. Third prize to your a3,
William Hyde
Bs"d
So as I told you guys, yesterday I had TWO the same Budapest gambits, a miniature of 7 moves. Identical games. The enemy sees he is going to loose his queen, and he resigns.
And what happened this morning? Yet another one! Exactly the same: https://lichess.org/DUJKdhaMW078
Isn't it miraculous?!
Why is not everybody playing the Budapest gambit, one wonders.
https://tinyurl.com/BPG-carry-on
Bs"d
Is a 15 move game a miniature? I think so.
On Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 11:19:01 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Is a 15 move game a miniature? I think so.Anything under twenty moves is a miniature. I've seen some authors use an upper
limit of twenty five.
William Hyde
Got another Budapest gambit, but the enemy refused it. He pushed his d pawn to d5 instead of taking my e pawn. So no quick winning of the queen.
I even sacrificed my own queen, but also that was refused by the enemy. For him that was a good idea, because had he taken my queen, he would have gone mate in one move, on move 5: https://lichess.org/9FemphVBwdUn
But also that didn't happen.
Those mates in 5 are very rare. I'm sure I have some here in the miniatures thread, but today it didn't happen.
Still I could do a lot of damage in the opening, and the enemy ended up with a rotten position, and on move 29 he went through the clock.
All is well that ends well.
Bs"d
In the thread "Opening traps are killers" there I posted the following post:
Got another Budapest gambit, but the enemy refused it. He pushed his d pawn to d5 instead of taking my e pawn. So no quick winning of the queen.
I even sacrificed my own queen, but also that was refused by the enemy. For him that was a good idea, because had he taken my queen, he would have gone mate in one move, on move 5: https://lichess.org/9FemphVBwdUn
But also that didn't happen.
Those mates in 5 are very rare. I'm sure I have some here in the miniatures thread, but today it didn't happen.
Still I could do a lot of damage in the opening, and the enemy ended up with a rotten position, and on move 29 he went through the clock.
All is well that ends well.
But now I got again a Budapest in which the enemy pushed his e pawn instead of taking the gambit pawn.
Again I put my bishop on c5, and the enemy pinned my horse on my queen by putting his bishop on g5. Again my horse jumped to e4, and again the enemy could take my queen. And this time, HE DID IT!!
I lost my queen on move 5.....
And the enemy lost his king and the game on move 5!
A rare gem which happens quite seldom: https://lichess.org/w5bUWQuTHCNt
https://tinyurl.com/play-bold-BG
Bs"d
Last night my week started very good when the enemy fell into a horrible trap in the Budapest gambit: https://lichess.org/5lSnqCZJi2ox
He surrendered on move 7, because that was when he realized that he was going to loose his queen. :D
The Almighty be blessed, thanked, and praised for the Budapest gambit!
https://tinyurl.com/killer-Bud
Bs"d
Last night my week started very good when the enemy fell into a horrible trap in the Budapest gambit: https://lichess.org/5lSnqCZJi2ox
He surrendered on move 7, because that was when he realized that he was going to loose his queen. :D
The Almighty be blessed, thanked, and praised for the Budapest gambit!
On Sunday, December 25, 2022 at 3:09:43 AM UTC-5, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs"d
Last night my week started very good when the enemy fell into a horrible trap in the Budapest gambit: https://lichess.org/5lSnqCZJi2ox
He surrendered on move 7, because that was when he realized that he was going to loose his queen. :D
The Almighty be blessed, thanked, and praised for the Budapest gambit!While you are at it you might want to thank Maroczy, who first played it in a strong event, Breyer and other Hungarians who analyzed
it, and Vidmar, who really gave it a boost by beating Rubenstein with it.
Though not in five moves.
Bs"d
Last night my week started very good when the enemy fell into a horrible trap in the Budapest gambit: https://lichess.org/5lSnqCZJi2ox
He surrendered on move 7, because that was when he realized that he was going to loose his queen. :D
The Almighty be blessed, thanked, and praised for the Budapest gambit!
https://tinyurl.com/killer-Bud
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