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Opening traps are killers

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nastyho...@gmail.com

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Mar 18, 2020, 2:32:47 AM3/18/20
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Opening traps rule!

I always thought that the Budapest gambit, which has about 5 traps in it, was one of the most trappy openings.

That was until I became aware of the Koltanowski gambit, which has about 22 traps in it.

One problem with that gambit is that it starts only on move 5, so it doesn't happen so often. This in contradistinction with for instance the Englund gambit, which you start on move 1.

Another problem with the Koltanowski gambit is; try to remember 22 not very short lines. That is for me sure not easy.

Recently I had 2 Koltanowksi gambits with the same trappy line, in which the opponent came out of the opening one bishop short:

https://lichess.org/k0P302AzkBAL

https://lichess.org/F9O1M9nYrfzP

So even though it doesn't happen so often, it is still good to be familiar with the intricacies of the Koltanowski gambit.


http://tiny.cc/trappish

Eli Kesef

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Apr 2, 2020, 10:13:46 AM4/2/20
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There is a nice trap in the Scandinavian defence, when white starts with e4, and black does d5: https://lichess.org/BWntl2eQ8cRD
What you get is like an Englund gambit, but with reversed colors.
On move 11 I removed the enemy queen of the board, and was 7 points ahead. But the opponent played on until mate on move 26.

There are many other trappy lines in this opening, for if the opponent reacts differently. It is a bit of a hassle to learn all of them, but the rewards are great!

https://tinyurl.com/trap-filled

Eli Kesef

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Apr 2, 2020, 10:23:58 AM4/2/20
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Here an Englund gambit in which the opponent on move 7 suddenly was down a full rook.
He played on until he was 8 points behind on move 22, and then he resigned.

http://tinyurl.com/that-look

samsloan

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Apr 2, 2020, 12:17:51 PM4/2/20
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Why are you posting games by Class C and Class D players?
>
> http://tiny.cc/trappish

Eli Kesef

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Apr 2, 2020, 12:27:20 PM4/2/20
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Eli Kesef

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Apr 18, 2020, 7:28:26 PM4/18/20
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And here another Koltanowski gambit in which the opponent comes out of the opening with a bishop missing: https://lichess.org/e8SOKJJinnAO

He played on until move 23, but at that point he resigned.

Life is good with opening traps.

http://tinyurl.com/that-look

Eli Kesef

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Jun 5, 2020, 2:42:53 AM6/5/20
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I think I'm finally getting a handle on the Traxler counter attack.

Here I attacked the opponent with a fried liver: https://lichess.org/9woWOs6cyLuF

He answered with the Traxler counter attack, and he resigned on move 27, being 14 points behind. :)


http://tinyurl.com/funny-game

Eli Kesef

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Jun 5, 2020, 3:22:19 AM6/5/20
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I forgot to mention; he was about to lose another 3 points, so next move he would have ben minus 16 or 17. (depending on if he could get a pawn for his horse)

https://tinyurl.com/0-0-0

Eli Kesef

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Jul 7, 2020, 9:05:59 AM7/7/20
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Here somebody went horribly wrong with an Englund gambit, he lost his queen and resigned on move 6: https://lichess.org/SETnAXMPAzOm


https://tinyurl.com/trappish

Eli Kesef

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Aug 31, 2020, 4:26:14 PM8/31/20
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Here somebody runs into an Englund gambit and comes out of the opening with a castle missing: https://lichess.org/vvJfJbaTbFXk

Who said chess is easy.....

https://tinyurl.com/Q-trap

Eli Kesef

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Sep 21, 2020, 9:36:39 AM9/21/20
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Through an unusual opening sequence I got the classical position of the Stafford gambit on the board. The opponent made the fatal move Bg5, I offered him my queen and my horse, he chose to take my queen, and I mated him in 2 moves: https://tinyurl.com/what-t4k

https://tinyurl.com/trappish

Eli Kesef

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Sep 21, 2020, 11:50:31 AM9/21/20
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Oops, wrong link. Here is the game: https://lichess.org/1DSkksp1P0Sc

Eli Kesef

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Sep 21, 2020, 1:11:00 PM9/21/20
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So I played an Italian opening, (aka Giuoco Piano) followed by the Koltanowski gambit. The opponent came out of the opening being a bishop down. Don't you LOVE those opening traps? https://lichess.org/WEUWFlpVi0N3

I hope we don't have to have a debate about whether or not it is good etiquette to demolish an unsuspecting opponent with a mean opening trap. It's not my fault people refuse to learn openings.

https://tinyurl.com/100-traps

Eli Kesef

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Oct 3, 2020, 5:51:31 PM10/3/20
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In this game: https://lichess.org/2P98As0SUWqx and 1846 fell victim to the Stafford gambit and had to part with his queen on move 9. The enemy played on until move 25 before he accepted the fact that further resistance was futile and resigned.

https://tinyurl.com/queen-val

Eli Kesef

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Oct 3, 2020, 5:57:49 PM10/3/20
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On move 5, I played ...Ne4, and planted my horse in his face. On move 6 the enemy played d3, trying to kick my horse away from e4. And that little innocent move attacking my horse sealed his fate. It was his downfall. After 6.d3 he was lost beyond all hope. That little natural move ruined him.

The road to chess hell is paved with natural moves.

https://tinyurl.com/devel-details

Eli Kesef

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Oct 5, 2020, 5:34:11 AM10/5/20
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And here an interesting Koltanowski gambit: https://lichess.org/4EaYfh0Yso73

I should have ended up with an exchange more, but the enemy decided to give me a whole castle, and right after that he gave me the whole game by resigning.

That's the way I like it!

https://tinyurl.com/dashing-gambit

Eli Kesef

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Oct 5, 2020, 6:00:24 AM10/5/20
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Just ordered this one on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/savagetrap

I think that'll make no.14 of my chess books solely dedicated to opening traps.

Without opening traps you are knee deep in the smelly stuff.

https://tinyurl.com/queen-val

Eli Kesef

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Oct 6, 2020, 4:46:32 AM10/6/20
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And yet another Koltanowski gambit: https://lichess.org/UKbZXgjKbFaZ

Not as weird as the one above, just the most natural en most occurring one, in which the enemy comes out of the opening with a bishop missing.

As a reaction to the weird one above, which I barely could remember and play, but which fortunately worked out OK, yesterday I went over all 22 different possible traps in the Koltanowski gambit. I should do that more often. The tend to leak away out of my brain if I don't repeat it regularly.
Besides that, it's just hard to learn 22 sometimes quite weird and complicated lines.

But the results are worth it!

https://tinyurl.com/queen-val

Eli Kesef

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Oct 7, 2020, 4:27:43 AM10/7/20
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And I also thought it wise to order this one: https://tinyurl.com/700traps

That'll keep me busy for a while.

Not that i'm through with all my other trappy books, that'll take another few lifetimes. But it is so much fun studying this stuff.....

And then the REAL fun when somebody steps in one of those traps.... :D :D

When I see a trap book that I don't have yet I just can't control myself; I've got to have it.

Playing against an opponent armed with a big bag of opening traps is like walking through a minefield. :D

https://tinyurl.com/mind-ur-step

Eli Kesef

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Oct 7, 2020, 5:28:51 AM10/7/20
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Now the only thing that is nagging me is; what about this one? https://www.ebay.com/itm/383054834566

Shall I buy it today or try to wait?

Difficult, difficult....

https://tinyurl.com/Eccl-12-12

Eli Kesef

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Oct 10, 2020, 5:21:13 PM10/10/20
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So after playing all the time the Russian defence after 1.e4, I switched to trying for the Blackburn-Shilling trap. The first attempt was a great succes: https://lichess.org/Do3IaM9boAib

The enemy came out of the opening with a bishop and a castle missing, but still played on to move 26.

https://tinyurl.com/Q-trap-thank-U

Eli Kesef

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Oct 10, 2020, 6:57:25 PM10/10/20
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Bs"d

Here, thanks to a Boden-Kiezeritsky gambit, the enemy came out of the opening with a castle missing: https://lichess.org/ZaFkS3fpd9lM

https://tinyurl.com/lost-gambit

Eli Kesef

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Oct 11, 2020, 7:51:45 AM10/11/20
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So I've set the Blackburn-Shilling trap (in short the B-S trap;) 6 times, and there were 2 takers. Here is the second one: https://lichess.org/pTGn9Tu6LB9f On move 8 he had to part with his queen. On move 14 he was 17 points behind in material, but he didn't give up. That's the spirit! Never say die!

I mated him on move 18.

Thank God for opening traps!

https://tinyurl.com/Blackburne-trap

Eli Kesef

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Oct 12, 2020, 2:48:52 PM10/12/20
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Amazing how many people do not know the fishing pole trap.

Here another ignorant victim: https://lichess.org/MbQOZscDsidl

I guess now he knows....

Always to happy educate my fellow chess traveller.

https://tinyurl.com/fishy-pole

Eli Kesef

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Oct 18, 2020, 6:50:15 AM10/18/20
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"Every chess player has gone through the experience of a game coming to an end before it ever really started. The reason is often one of the ubiquitous opening traps, which to the victim look quite ‘normal’ moves – a piece is developed, something is captured, or a threat is set up and parried. The reply, for the most part an unusual one and therefore totally unexpected, then almost inevitably leads to a rapid win for the ‘trapper’. The two internationally recognised grandmaster authors – Rainer Knaak is considered an expert on the openings, and Karsten Müller on the endgame – therefore propose two main objectives:

→ the student should master the traps in the openings he plays, in order to avoid disasters;
→ but he can also systematically try to expand his opening rep-ertoire, in order himself to set traps.

This first volume contains all the important openings after 1.e4, such as the Italian, French, Spanish, Sicilian etc., as well as introductory texts with their typical motifs, with which one should be familiar. In this way, as a welcome side effect, the reader is guaranteed to improve his combinative skill."

This piece of advice comes from two Grandmasters. They wrote a nice book: "222 opening traps after 1.e4"

Yes, of course I have this book. You want it too? https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Karsten-M%C3%BCller/dp/3283010048

You really cannot do without it.

""Every chess player has gone through the experience of a game coming to an end before it ever really started. The reason is often one of the ubiquitous opening traps"

Yes, every chess player. But, let's face it: Some more than others.

And that's why I have all those books about traps. Thus spoke a colleague of mine who didn't know chess, but I taught him, told him which book to buy, which traps to learn, and he listened: "Amazing how much fun it is when you see the opponent step in to a trap"....

And that's how it is.

https://tinyurl.com/eye-love-chess

Eli Kesef

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Oct 25, 2020, 2:44:44 AM10/25/20
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This tactical motif which made the enemy resign on move 8 I learned from another opening: https://lichess.org/06JnGeNxZDEr

I think it is from the Scandinavian defense, normally you play it with white, but now it popped up with black.

Another proof that learning opening traps improves your tactical abilities.

https://tinyurl.com/tramp-checkers

Eli Kesef

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Oct 28, 2020, 1:40:30 AM10/28/20
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In this game https://lichess.org/WyiKAkTD5vYA the enemy (1875) allowed me to play the Koltanowski gambit. He managed to steer clear of all 22 traps, and then stepped into another one; he gave me the triple attack on f7, which cost him a castle and a pawn for a horse. From there it was all down hill for the enemy. He lost another exchange, and then he lost a horse, and then he resigned.

Opening traps are horrible things when you are on the receiving end of 'm.

https://tinyurl.com/mind-ur-step

Eli Kesef

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Oct 28, 2020, 1:58:32 AM10/28/20
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Two more books about opening traps arrived in the mail. That brings me to 15 chess books in my chess library which are solely dedicated to opening traps.

I have two more on my wish list. On shabbat, when I cannot go on line, I was looking into one of those books, and I found some wonderful additions to my trappy repertoire. Especially my new reaction when somebody plays the Fried Liver against me is hilarious and devastating. I have applied it already a few times successfully.

https://tinyurl.com/trappish


Eli Kesef

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Nov 3, 2020, 4:20:57 PM11/3/20
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Bs"d

So I had the enemy playing the Karo-Cann against me: https://lichess.org/uFbw8mMAc2V4 I have a good trap against that, everything went well for a while, and then he began to deviate from the normal lines. He used up A LOT of time, thinking about how to get out of the trap, because he had faced it before. He said this in the chat: "Knight4aday Oh i hate this reply from white, lost a few games against it, never remembered what to do at this stage..." The point was, I was out of the book, so I also didn't know what to do. I reached the point where I had to start thinking for myself, and that's the point when things usually go horribly wrong.
But, thank God, I sacrificed a horse, after which I sacrificed my other horse, after which I checkmated him in 2 moves.

All is well that ends well. It's just that the mate happened on move 16, otherwise I could have posted this under the miniatures.

https://tinyurl.com/pin-mightier

Eli Kesef

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Nov 10, 2020, 12:27:41 PM11/10/20
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In this game https://lichess.org/srmLQU5RddA7 the Stafford game came through for me. Again. I got the threefold attack on f2 and he had to part with an exchange. A few moves later the enemy was 11 points behind in material and faced a mate in one after he had to sacrifice his queen.
He didn't feel like sacrificing his queen in order to mated in one move, so he rolled over and died.

https://tinyurl.com/chess-ment-tort

Eli Kesef

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Nov 22, 2020, 1:45:48 AM11/22/20
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Here somebody encounters an Englund gambit, and comes out of the opening with a castle missing: https://lichess.org/z3sudCvyrzcl

https://tinyurl.com/Q-trap-thank-U

Eli Kesef

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Dec 5, 2020, 5:49:24 PM12/5/20
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Bs"d

Here an 1898 fell victim to a Boden-Kieseritzky gambit, and came with an exchange and a pawn missing out of the opening: https://lichess.org/YA739hWSDIGK

https://tinyurl.com/lost-gambit

Eli Kesef

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Jan 4, 2021, 12:41:47 PM1/4/21
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Bs"d

In this game https://lichess.org/vkRo1gKTq3nm the enemy fell victim to an Englund gambit. On move 7 he lost his queen, on move 23 I mated him while he was 21 points behind.

http://tinyurl.com/pin-sword

Eli Kesef

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Jan 28, 2021, 6:07:33 PM1/28/21
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Bs"d

In this game: https://lichess.org/jd2LZ2ratxW9 the enemy fell victim to a Stafford gambit. It was a very funny game. Not as funny as the mate in 8, but still very good. On move 9 he lost his queen. He did get a horse and a bishop for it, but that was obviously not enough. On move 12 he lost his castle for my bishop. On move 15, him being 9 points behind, playing without queen, his king in the middle of the board, he finally surrendered.

https://tinyurl.com/dashing-gambit

Eli Kesef

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Jan 30, 2021, 3:27:13 PM1/30/21
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And yet another Stafford gambit: https://lichess.org/z9cLanB5gS8n

I got the triple attack on f2, that costed him an exchange, and the rest was sheer slaughter.

https://tinyurl.com/calm-win

Eli Kesef

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Feb 8, 2021, 9:17:45 AM2/8/21
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Bs"d

I destroyed the enemy with a fishing pole: https://lichess.org/bPKaJe5G48vy I'm just not sure if this was an opening trap, because the trap started on move 25. But anyway, it worked like a charm, he resigned 2 moves later, even though that wasn't necessary.

tinyurl.com/traps-kill

Eli Kesef

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Feb 11, 2021, 3:39:13 PM2/11/21
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Bs"d

Here is an Englund gambit in which the enemy had to part with a castle in the opening and was 5 points behind on move 8: https://lichess.org/VC5CZ1ZYA6Ki
He soldiered on though and only on move 37 while being 12 points behind he received the coup the grace.

The Englund gambit is a killer!

https://is.gd/trappy_gamb

Eli Kesef

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Mar 7, 2021, 1:24:02 PM3/7/21
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Bs"d

So I told you guys about my new answer to an attempted fried liver, you know, the crazy and absurd looking answer. But I learned it from two grandmasters, so it is not as crazy as it looks. Far from it.
I got an enemy here who tried to fry liver me: https://lichess.org/9h9TOcbQQ9Jl
I played against his Italian opening the two horses defense, he threw his horse forward to g5, double attacking my f7 pawn. So in stead of me pushing my queen pawn two forward and blocking the line of sight of his bishop, I decided to take my f6 horse, and take with it his pawn on e4, which was protected by his horse on g5. He could have taken my horse just like that. But he didn't, in stead he chose to make a nasty horse fork on f7, his horse smacked in on f7, and forked my queen and castle.

So how did that work out for him? The short story is: He resigned on move 11, and the counter was on +14 for me.

A short, hilarious, and heart warming game!

HALLELUJAH!!

http://tinyurl.com/funny-game

The Horny Goat

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Mar 7, 2021, 10:32:38 PM3/7/21
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I know you like opening traps but what do you do when you have to play
beyond 20 moves? The essential knowledge at that point is quite
different than in the opening.
Message has been deleted

Eli Kesef

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Mar 8, 2021, 1:36:02 AM3/8/21
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Bs"d

Well, when I have to play beyond the opening, or when the enemy somehow circumvents all my traps, then, unfortunately, I have to think up my moves myself. And that's usually the point when things start to go horribly wrong.

For that I sometimes practice with CT-Art 3.0, to sharpen my tactical skills, and for the rest I just hope for the best.

I study some elementary endgames, and just to be on the safe side, I only play opponents who are weaker than I am. I think that's the key to success.
Playing it any other way is just asking for trouble.
After all, we play chess in order to enjoy ourselves, aren't we?

And I'm definitely not enjoying myself when I lose.

https://tinyurl.com/Aristotl


The Horny Goat

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Mar 8, 2021, 2:30:36 AM3/8/21
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On Sun, 7 Mar 2021 22:36:00 -0800 (PST), Eli Kesef
<nastyho...@gmail.com> wrote:

>Well, when I have to play beyond the opening, or when the enemy somehow cir=
>cumvents all my traps, then, unfortunately, I have to think up my moves mys=
>elf. And that's usually the point when things start to go horribly wrong=
>.=20
>
>For that I sometimes practice with CT-Art 3.0, to sharpen my tactical skill=
>s, and for the rest I just hope for the best. =20
>
>I study some elementary endgames, and just to be on the safe side, I only p=
>lay opponents who are weaker than I am. I think that's the key to success.=
> =20
>Playing it any other way is just asking for trouble.=20
>After all, we play chess in order to enjoy ourselves, aren't we? =20
>
>And I'm definitely not enjoying myself when I lose.=20
>
>https://tinyurl.com/Aristotl
>
Well obviously if you memorize 1200 pages of the various volumes of
ECO you will be well booked but the point of the openings is to get to
a middle game position you are comfortable playing.

Thus as black I often play Petroff against e4 (or occasionally various
d6/e6 Sicilian setups) and often play Benko against d4

You may reasonably infer a strong positional style with tactical
elements.

I used to play various e5 Sicilian systems but didn't like the sort of
positions I was getting.

You may also infer safely that I'm unlikely to be found on either side
of the Slav though have done some interesting speculation (only in
speed chess so far) with various lines in the Winawer French.

The one thread all of these have in common is tactical play with solid
center positions and a lot of minor piece play.

Eli Kesef

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Mar 8, 2021, 6:24:16 AM3/8/21
to
On Monday, March 8, 2021 at 9:30:36 AM UTC+2, The Horny Goat wrote:
> On Sun, 7 Mar 2021 22:36:00 -0800 (PST), Eli Kesef
> <nastyho...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Well, when I have to play beyond the opening, or when the enemy somehow cir=
> >cumvents all my traps, then, unfortunately, I have to think up my moves mys=
> >elf. And that's usually the point when things start to go horribly wrong=
> >.=20
> >
> >For that I sometimes practice with CT-Art 3.0, to sharpen my tactical skill=
> >s, and for the rest I just hope for the best. =20
> >
> >I study some elementary endgames, and just to be on the safe side, I only p=
> >lay opponents who are weaker than I am. I think that's the key to success.=
> > =20
> >Playing it any other way is just asking for trouble.=20
> >After all, we play chess in order to enjoy ourselves, aren't we? =20
> >
> >And I'm definitely not enjoying myself when I lose.=20
> >
> >https://tinyurl.com/Aristotl
> >
> Well obviously if you memorize 1200 pages of the various volumes of
> ECO you will be well booked but the point of the openings is to get to
> a middle game position you are comfortable playing.

Bs"d

That's not my outlook upon the opening, for me the opening is the first and best chance to crush, demolish, and humiliate the enemy, the faster the better.

> Thus as black I often play Petroff against e4 (or occasionally various
> d6/e6 Sicilian setups) and often play Benko against d4

If you like playing the Petrov, you should start playing the Stafford gambit, it's a KILLER.
As is clear from the many Stafford games I post here. Why let this devastating potential go unused? Worse thing that can happen to you is that, if he knows the refutation, that you end up playing a pawn down, and that doesn't mean much on our level.
But it is only seldom that somebody can refute it, and it is often that I can demolish the enemy with it.

> You may reasonably infer a strong positional style with tactical
> elements.
>
> I used to play various e5 Sicilian systems but didn't like the sort of
> positions I was getting.

That's why I quit the Morra gambit, and now I play the Grand Prix attack against the Sicilian, and I like it. Works usually very good.

> You may also infer safely that I'm unlikely to be found on either side
> of the Slav though have done some interesting speculation (only in
> speed chess so far) with various lines in the Winawer French.
>
> The one thread all of these have in common is tactical play with solid
> center positions and a lot of minor piece play.

I prefer open games, in which I can smack my dull ax into the opponent's position and pieces.

However, the strongest playing style is positional. Karpov was an extreme positional player, and Kasparov was a tactical player. When Kasparov met Karpov, Kasparov was being demolished, and he was teetering on the edge of the ravine. In no time he was 5-0 behind. Only when he changed his playing style and started playing like Karpov, was he able to win.

But that is on GM level. World top level. I prefer tactical/fighting play. My motto is: "Damn the torpedo's; full speed ahead!"

That is of course far from the best style, but I like it, and that's what it's all about.

But on our level most games are won and lost by tactics and blunders.

If I could only get rid of my blunders....

https://tinyurl.com/fairytale-1001

The Horny Goat

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Mar 9, 2021, 12:52:48 AM3/9/21
to
On Mon, 8 Mar 2021 03:24:14 -0800 (PST), Eli Kesef
<nastyho...@gmail.com> wrote:

>However, the strongest playing style is positional. Karpov was an extreme =
>positional player, and Kasparov was a tactical player. When Kasparov met K=
>arpov, Kasparov was being demolished, and he was teetering on the edge of t=
>he ravine. In no time he was 5-0 behind. Only when he changed his playing =
>style and started playing like Karpov, was he able to win. =20
>
Uh my bathroom reading for most of the last month has been Bronstein's
mini-book Kasparov-Karpov on their 1991 match.

Which may sound like it's a slam on Bronstein but that's not fair -
it's the one place in our home where I can count on 10-15 minutes for
analysis without being disrupted by other family members....

I mean honestly - Bronstein's one of the strongest ever non-world
champions though of that group Keres remains my favorite chiefly
because I actually met and spoke to him. (Of world champions Fischer
and Spassky both played at different times in Vancouver while Tal was
Taimanov's second in Vancouver though it is said that Tal was in big
trouble on his return home as his KGB handler reported Tal had spent a
LOT of time watching the NHL playoffs on TV - it was that time of year
- when he ought to have been analysing for Taimanov) I also met Euwe
in Vancouver when he was FIDE president. (We were making too much
noise in the skittles room at the Canadian Open which was running
concurrently with the FIDE congress and Euwe took it on himself to
chew out a group of noisy 14-15 year olds....I remember one guy broke
the silence afterwards saying 'uh was that who I think it was?"
"yup!!")

Eli Kesef

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Mar 9, 2021, 1:32:35 AM3/9/21
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Bs"d

Got myself another willing victim which stepped into the Caro-Kann trap: https://lichess.org/vgHKB2AK0eZE

He didn't go all out, not like the mate in 13, of which you can find quite a few in the thread "Miniatures are the best", he was too smart for that. When I made the fork on his queen and castle, and his king could just take my horse, he saw that that would lead to mate in two, so he just moved his queen and sacrificed his castle.
In that combination I got a castle and 2 pawns in exchange for a horse, a fine deal for me, but no mate. He dragged out the game until move 31, while I exchanged everything I could, and picked up some material along the way. On move 31 I was 9 points ahead, and he was about to lose another 3 points, so he chose that time to resign.
The beginning of the game is interesting for those who don't yet know that Caro-Kann trap, the rest is a bit less interesting. More of a mob up operation.

Opening traps are killers.

Ain't that the truth.

https://tinyurl.com/trap-kills

Eli Kesef

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Mar 9, 2021, 2:17:11 AM3/9/21
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Bs"d

I've got this one on the toilet: https://tinyurl.com/T-Schuster and also this one: https://tinyurl.com/700-wall

Of that handbook for the chess player I've got three copies, one in the toilet, one in my chess bookcase, and one on another address where I regularly spent time. All in all I think I bought 10 copies of that book, but books have a tendency to disappear, you lend them out and they never come back, I moved around a lot, and in the moving stuff disappears.
You can't do without that book. It taught me my first traps, amongst them the Stafford gambit, be it with only one trappy line. Now I now a lot of traps in the Stafford. But I had some spectacular successes with that one line. You can see that one line appearing regularly in the thread "Sudden death at move 8", it's where you sacrifice the queen and then mate in 2 moves on move 8. That and the many successes with the Blackburn-shilling trap which I also learned from that book, is what got me going on traps. It was one of my first chess books, and I was (and still am) very impressed with the quality of that book and the impact it had on my play. This book was originally written in German, I have the Dutch translation, and it should be translated in English. It's the best book for beginners and club players I've ever encountered.

I also have the autobiography of Kasparov, which he wrote shortly after he became world champion. He speaks a lot about his match with Karpov, about when the match was about who would reach the 6 points first, and how he was behind with 5-0.
He basically demolished everybody in the candidate matches, but he was shocked when he realized how strong Karpov was, how much stronger he was than the rest. And he writes about how he had to change his playing style to very positional in stead of his kung fu fighting attacks, in order to defeat Karpov.

https://tinyurl.com/interesting-chess

Eli Kesef

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Mar 26, 2021, 9:30:22 AM3/26/21
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Bs"d

Here the enemy fell victim to the Koltanowsky gambit, and came out of the opening with a bishop missing: https://lichess.org/q61pVH3pzITM

He fought on, but on move 15 he blundered away his queen, and that was it.

https://tinyurl.com/trappish

azigni

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Mar 26, 2021, 4:33:27 PM3/26/21
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I must be missing something? On move 15, Blacks Queen disappears?

Eli Kesef

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Mar 28, 2021, 1:10:09 PM3/28/21
to
On Friday, March 26, 2021 at 11:33:27 PM UTC+3, azigni wrote:
> I must be missing something? On move 15, Blacks Queen disappears?

Bs"d

That's what happened, on move 15 he blundered away his queen.

Today and yesterday I played a lot of chess with the Russians in the park. I got one with a trap in the Scandinavian defence, he had to part with a piece in the opening, and another one I got with a fishingpole, he went mate somewhere around move 10.

https://tinyurl.com/trappish

Eli Kesef

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Apr 6, 2021, 2:22:19 PM4/6/21
to
Bs"d

In this game against an 1850: https://lichess.org/qL0IEXU172oX I myself tried a Fried Liver against the enemy. Everything went fine, except on move 6, when I could smack in on f7, and sacrifice my horse there and draw the enemy king to the midst of the board, I just didn't do it. In stead I played d4.
This move I learned from Bobby Fischer, who said that that makes the Fried Liver attack much stronger.
And when it comes to chess I'm just not going to disagree with Bobby, so I first played d4. And then, given the chance, I smack my horse in on f7.

In this game however, the enemy, after my move d4, had the audacity to take my pawn on d4 with his horse. I was very happy about that, because I knew from experience, and also mostly from my chess books, that when the enemy takes that pawn on d4, my follow up move c3 will cost him a horse.
And that's what happened. The enemy came out of the opening with a horse missing, and the rest was just a matter of mopping up.

It's great to know something about openings.

https://tinyurl.com/killtrap

Ken Blake

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Apr 6, 2021, 4:07:41 PM4/6/21
to
On 4/6/2021 11:22 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs"d
>
> In this game against an 1850: https://lichess.org/qL0IEXU172oX I myself tried a Fried Liver against the enemy.


You did not.



> Everything went fine, except on move 6, when I could smack in on f7, and sacrifice my horse there and draw the enemy king to the midst of the
> board, I just didn't do it.


6. Nxf7 is the move that characterizes the Fried Liver Attack. Since you
didn't play that move, it was *not* a Fried Liver Attack.



> In stead I played d4.
> This move I learned from Bobby Fischer, who said that that makes the Fried Liver attack much stronger.


He certainly didn't say that, since 6. d4 has nothing to do with the
Fried Liver Attack. Moreover 6. d4 was a well-known move well before
Fischer's time, and was thought to be a much better alternative than the
Fried Liver Attack.

Is it still thought to be better? I don't know. I haven't kept up with
the theory.


--
Ken

Eli Kesef

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Apr 7, 2021, 11:18:18 AM4/7/21
to
On Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 11:07:41 PM UTC+3, Ken Blake wrote:
> On 4/6/2021 11:22 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
> > Bs"d
> >
> > In this game against an 1850: https://lichess.org/qL0IEXU172oX I myself tried a Fried Liver against the enemy.
> You did not.
> > Everything went fine, except on move 6, when I could smack in on f7, and sacrifice my horse there and draw the enemy king to the midst of the
> > board, I just didn't do it.
> 6. Nxf7 is the move that characterizes the Fried Liver Attack. Since you
> didn't play that move, it was *not* a Fried Liver Attack.

Bs"d

It was a slightly modified Fried Liver.

> > In stead I played d4.
> > This move I learned from Bobby Fischer, who said that that makes the Fried Liver attack much stronger.
> He certainly didn't say that, since 6. d4 has nothing to do with the
> Fried Liver Attack.

OK, show me the official definition of the Fried Liver attack.

> Moreover 6. d4 was a well-known move well before
> Fischer's time, and was thought to be a much better alternative than the
> Fried Liver Attack.
>
> Is it still thought to be better? I don't know. I haven't kept up with
> the theory.

I get a lot more victims with it. Lichess calls it the Lollie attack. But I don't like that name, so I stick with the modified Fried Liver.

Here you have a few Fried Livers, one with Fischer, and they all have 6.d4.

https://tinyurl.com/Fried-liver

Ken Blake

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Apr 7, 2021, 6:26:06 PM4/7/21
to
On 4/7/2021 8:18 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
> On Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at 11:07:41 PM UTC+3, Ken Blake wrote:
>> On 4/6/2021 11:22 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
>> > Bs"d
>> >
>> > In this game against an 1850: https://lichess.org/qL0IEXU172oX I myself tried a Fried Liver against the enemy.
>> You did not.
>> > Everything went fine, except on move 6, when I could smack in on f7, and sacrifice my horse there and draw the enemy king to the midst of the
>> > board, I just didn't do it.
>> 6. Nxf7 is the move that characterizes the Fried Liver Attack. Since you
>> didn't play that move, it was *not* a Fried Liver Attack.
>
> Bs"d
>
> It was a slightly modified Fried Liver.
>
>> > In stead I played d4.
>> > This move I learned from Bobby Fischer, who said that that makes the Fried Liver attack much stronger.
>> He certainly didn't say that, since 6. d4 has nothing to do with the
>> Fried Liver Attack.
>
> OK, show me the official definition of the Fried Liver attack.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Knights_Defense,_Fried_Liver_Attack


--
Ken

Eli Kesef

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Apr 11, 2021, 7:45:06 AM4/11/21
to
Bs"d

And here yet another Boden-Kieseritzky gambit in which the enemy came out of the opening a bishop short: https://lichess.org/JKcwR6lEbnmX

https://tinyurl.com/gloeiogen

Eli Kesef

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Apr 11, 2021, 8:43:42 AM4/11/21
to
Bs"d

Like I said before: Things come in clusters. Which things? All things. Here yet another Koltanowsky gambit in which the enemy resigned right away after losing the bishop: https://lichess.org/IiSmLmOGIdb1

By the way, that post above here, where I speak about a Boden-Kieseritzky gambit, that should also have been a Koltanowski gambit.

https://tinyurl.com/killtrap

Eli Kesef

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May 15, 2021, 7:36:17 PM5/15/21
to
Bs"d

So I bought myself a second hand chess book for next to nothing; "Teach Yourself Chess" by IM Bill Hartston, 2 times winner of the British Championship, and the first one to stack the pieces from an entire chess set on top of a single white castle.

Parts of the book looks like rats have been eating it, but everything is still very well readable, thank God.

It's a very nice book, you can teach yourself chess with it, and it has about everything, openings, endgames, tactics, history of chess, illustrative games, very nice book for a beginner or club player: https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Chess-McGraw-Hill/dp/0844230502

So in that book I found an interesting gambit in the Italian opening, (aka giuoco piano) where you gambiteer not one, but two pawns. And it has a wonderful trap in it.
So I spent my free Saturday learning that trap with all its variations by heart, and after the sun had set, I cranked up my computer, and gave it a shot on Lichess. It took a few games, but lo and behold, after I played the bishop opening, my favorite, some opponent turned it into the Italian opening. So I offered him a pawn, and he took it. I offered him a second pawn, and he took it. Then I offered him a castle, but he didn't take it. Didn't make a difference though, because it was too late already. He fought hard, but to no avail; he came out of the opening with a bishop missing: https://lichess.org/Ig4sFrqZMgJ0
And from there it was all downhill, I exchanged everything, got myself an exchange on top of it, got into and endgame with a castle more, and the enemy surrendered unconditionally.

Great trap! I want to try that more often.

https://tinyurl.com/trappish

Eli Kesef

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May 15, 2021, 7:57:54 PM5/15/21
to
Bs"d

Here I played an improved Fried Liver, aka "lolli attack". In stead of at the first opportunity smacking your horse in on f7, you first play e4, which, according to Bobby Fisher, makes the attack much stronger.

And so I did. Now the point is, that the pawn on e4 can easily be taken by an enemy horse. But, unfortunately for the enemy, if he does that, he is going to lose a horse. In this game: https://lichess.org/4BwedXJq1ftW the enemy indeed took the horse, which meant that he came out of the opening with a horse missing. From there it was easy sailing, no need for me to sacrifice my own horse on f7, just quiet play with a horse more and victory was mine.

That's what you get when you refuse to learn opening traps.

Just saying.

If you refuse to learn opening traps and you're up against and opponent armed with a big bag of opening traps, then you're walking through a minefield.

https://tinyurl.com/mind-ur-step

Eli Kesef

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May 16, 2021, 2:27:12 AM5/16/21
to
On Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 2:57:54 AM UTC+3, Eli Kesef wrote:

> And so I did. Now the point is, that the pawn on e4 can easily be taken by an enemy horse.

Bs"d

Sorry about that, that must be "the pawn on D4 can easily be taken..."

https://tinyurl.com/miss-fly-hall

Eli Kesef

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May 24, 2021, 5:02:59 PM5/24/21
to
Bs"d

Here an 1800+ fell for an Englund gambit, and came out of the opening with a castle missing.

After a blunder festival I managed to score the full point.

https://tinyurl.com/fool-opp-Engl-trap

Eli Kesef

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May 24, 2021, 6:06:36 PM5/24/21
to
Bs"d

Just played another game against Sidonio, 1800+. He played a Caro-Kann against me, so I played my trap against him, and it didn't really go all the way according to the book. I was wondering why. Then I saw that this was the 13th game I was playing against Sidionio. After the game was over, I saw that he was a fanatic Caro-Kann player, and I saw that I slaughtered him three times with my Caro-Kann trap.
For the connoisseur, here are the games:

https://lichess.org/xPsP3V6i#25
https://lichess.org/5LGZwtc6#25
https://lichess.org/ZkrXST2r#23

So after biting the dust three times against the same opening trap, he got the hang of it, and didn't fall for it anymore.

Still he came out of the opening with a lousy position, and I managed to take him down in 16 moves: https://lichess.org/lSNNhmba#35

All is well that ends well.

https://tinyurl.com/CaKa-trap

Eli Kesef

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May 25, 2021, 1:07:47 AM5/25/21
to
Bs"d

Looks like I have no other choice then learning a whole new trap in the Caro-Kann, just in case I'm going to run into Sidionio again.

A man's got to do what a man's got to do.

Fortunately there are plenty of other traps in the Caro.

https://tinyurl.com/CaroK-trap

Eli Kesef

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May 25, 2021, 5:14:33 PM5/25/21
to
Bs"d

Here in a Stafford gambit the enemy rated 1852 was able to avoid the mate on move 8, but still he came out of the opening with his queen missing: https://lichess.org/mFgPnWu0i1Iw

The enemy fought on bravely until move 15, but when he there realized he was going to lose even more material, he surrendered unconditionally.

https://tinyurl.com/dev-Stafford


Eli Kesef

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Jun 5, 2021, 5:14:02 PM6/5/21
to
Bs"d

So today on my rest day I played some over the board games. In six games I only blundered once, or that is the most that I and my opponent noticed. That resulted in a sudden mate, but that was the only one of 6 games that I lost, so it was 5-1 for me.
That's the way I like it.

I played the same guy I played a few weeks ago, a serious chess player, active on Lichess, and he practices tactics on Chess.com.
He doesn't do opening traps, because, he says, you end up in bad positions when the opponent doesn't fall for your traps.

Fortunately, I was able to impress upon him the importance of studying opening traps, even when you don't want to play them yourself. Then you still need the knowledge in order to prevent yourself from falling into the traps of the opponent.

i drove that point home in the first game, where I was black. He started to play an Italian opening, and I used the opportunity to release upon him a Blackburn-Shilling trap.
He swallowed the poisoned pawn, hook, line, and sinker.
I did my thing, my thing being queen g5, after which he forked my queen and castle by smacking his horse in on f7.
And that is the worst line for the opponent there is.
It resulted in the totally unexpected smothered mate on move 7.

With a stunned expression on his face he said: “That was fast….”

Chess is a cruel game. https://tinyurl.com/Nigel-kill

It was an over the board game, but here is an old Lichess game which went exactly the same: https://lichess.org/oGkbGfME/black#14

Opening traps are killers

https://tinyurl.com/Blackburn-trap

Eli Kesef

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Jul 19, 2021, 7:18:38 AM7/19/21
to
Bs"d

This is the story of a trap. Not of a successfully executed trap, but of a failed trap. Stories of successful traps you have gotten enough already, so now a failed trap.

The fishing pole trap is a great trap, and somebody who doesn't know it is bound to fall for it. BUT, you gotta know when it works, and especially, when it doesn't.
I learned that the hard way. In this game https://lichess.org/Fth74M6D9kKj my opponent learned the hard way that sometimes, it just doesn't work. He sacrificed a horse, after that, totally unnecessary a castle, then tried to mate me, and found out it was just not going to happen.
Bummer.
And that was the end. Well, the beginning of the end, because he decided to play on even when he was 17 points down, right unto the mate.
No problem. I like playing when I'm 17 points ahead.
All in all; for the opponent a very educational game, and for me a very enjoyable one.

HalleluJah!!

https://tinyurl.com/fishy-pole

Eli Kesef

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Jul 19, 2021, 9:07:11 AM7/19/21
to
Bs”d

Since I realize that a failed trap is a tad depressing, I hereby present you guys with a successful trap. Mind you, not 100% successful, that would have been a mate in 5, but successful enough to do the enemy a lot of damage in the opening and make him throw in the towel on move 20: https://lichess.org/HokgsEEoGFs6

The mate in 5 in a serious game like this, is unfortunately extremely rare. That happens once a year or less. I searched in my nick Tallybloodyho, and among almost 4000 games, I found three instances of that mate in 5, one coming from and Englund gambit, like the above game, and two from a Budapest gambit.
Here is one: https://lichess.org/OUT2d440/black So yes, they are rare jewels, but they do happen occasionally. So with the above game, I was hoping for the enemy to take my queen. When he was thinking really long I even texted him: “Just take the queen and get it over with” but alas, it was not to be.
Not that it made a difference in the end result, but the five mover would have been much more spectacular.
Well, not everyday is party time, I guess.

https://tinyurl.com/trappish

Eli Kesef

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Jul 22, 2021, 5:26:39 AM7/22/21
to
Bs"d

And again I came very close to the mate in 5, but, unfortunately, the enemy was not sleeping behind the board, he saw the mate in one, and prevented it, but still he incurred a lot of damage, lost his castle in the corner for a horse, and that was the beginning of the end: https://lichess.org/QvSEiQpb8ici

https://tinyurl.com/trappy-gambit

Eli Kesef

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Jul 22, 2021, 5:33:43 AM7/22/21
to
Bs"d

The Stafford gambit caused the enemy to have to part with an exchange in the opening: https://lichess.org/rORiXOjaJMW6 And then you exchange all the pieces, and with a comfortable advantage in the endgame you win.

https://tinyurl.com/killtrap

Eli Kesef

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Jul 26, 2021, 12:58:39 PM7/26/21
to
Bs"d

I had a few takers for a Fishing Pole. Here an 1857 had never before heard of the concept of the Fishing Pole: https://lichess.org/3WJYV2beW6m4
I was happy to be able to educate him on this interesting subject.

And here another one who choked on a horse I offered him: https://lichess.org/3WJYV2beW6m4

The Fishing Pole is still going strong after all these years!

https://tinyurl.com/fishy-pole

Eli Kesef

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Jul 26, 2021, 1:57:25 PM7/26/21
to
Bs"d

And here some Scandinavian defense players. The first one who played d5 after my e4 was RAYFRAN48, and 1800+ player. Of course I answered with a trappy gambit, namely the Tennison gambit. That costed him a full bishop and the enemy resigned on move 20.

The next in line for a taste of the good old Tennison gambit was a Scandinavian defense player going by the name of pw150: https://lichess.org/kCmR4xbuatD1 Also he bit of more than he could chew with the Tennison gambit, and also he had to part with a bishop. A horse fork on move 22 made him throw in the towel.

After that came Hiharucola, 1862: https://lichess.org/wGCnty4LPqiJ Also he had to part with a bishop on move 7, after which he resigned.
A nice miniature.

https://tinyurl.com/tonstaun

Eli Kesef

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Jul 27, 2021, 6:43:42 AM7/27/21
to
Bs"d

Here https://lichess.org/K0yJFtE0ql9o an 1812 had to part with a bishop on move 5 in that nasty Englund gambit.

The rest was exchanging to a won endgame, and that was that.

https://tinyurl.com/lost-gambit

Eli Kesef

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Aug 1, 2021, 5:12:13 PM8/1/21
to
On Monday, July 26, 2021 at 8:57:25 PM UTC+3, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs"d
>
> And here some Scandinavian defense players. The first one who played d5 after my e4 was RAYFRAN48, and 1800+ player. Of course I answered with a trappy gambit, namely the Tennison gambit. That costed him a full bishop and the enemy resigned on move 20.

Bs"d

Here is the game of Rayfran48: https://lichess.org/UKiZhlpsIVTH played a week ago.

In the thread "Miniatures are the best" I just now posted another Tennison gambit, in which the enemy lost an exchange in the opening, and resigned on move 13. That's 4 successful Tennison gambit traps in one week.

https://tinyurl.com/two-plus-two



Eli Kesef

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Aug 22, 2021, 8:45:05 AM8/22/21
to
Bs"d

After a long dry spell I was able to bag a 1940 with a Stafford gambit. In 11 moves. LOL!!

https://lichess.org/8rkGBKB1SxCb

Opening traps are terrible things when you're on the wrong side of 'm.

https://tinyurl.com/gloeiogen

Eli Kesef

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Aug 23, 2021, 2:04:37 AM8/23/21
to
Bs"d

In the above variation the Stafford gambit goes like this: First you give the enemy a pawn, then you give him a horse, and then you slaughter him.

Works great!

https://tinyurl.com/dev-Stafford

Ken Blake

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Aug 23, 2021, 12:19:41 PM8/23/21
to
The Greeks were the only ones to give the enemy a horse.


--
Ken

Eli Kesef

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Aug 25, 2021, 8:07:57 AM8/25/21
to
Bs"d

And a great job they did with it.

So great that I decided to emulate their gesture.

The enemy choked on horse beef.

HalleluJah!!

This was a combination of the Stafford gambit and the fishing pole trap.

https://tinyurl.com/fish-pole-trap

Eli Kesef

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Sep 5, 2021, 8:12:37 AM9/5/21
to
Bs"d

In this game: https://lichess.org/uH0FmmIA68QX I offered the enemy a pawn.

The enemy who was rated 1800, accepted the pawn, and choked on it. He had to part in the opening with an exchange and two pawns, so that instead me being a pawn down I was a pawn up, and I had an extra exchange on top of it.

When the enemy after that also lost a horse, he surrendered unconditionally. On move 15.

The Koltanowski gambit hit again!

https://tinyurl.com/Q-trap-thank-U

Eli Kesef

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Sep 9, 2021, 11:44:59 AM9/9/21
to
Bs"d

It is the time of the year for Caro-Kann traps. First I slaughtered an innocent CK player who followed the book line of the trap, and he surrendered on move 12, mate on move 13 was unavoidable: https://lichess.org/ArmyoNvlvY5G

Then I was paired again with Sidionio, the hard-core Caro-Kann player, who I slaughtered already three times with that CK-trap. I only later saw that is was Sidonio, so I started my trap like usual, and on the critical point he started to deviate, he learned his lesson already three times, and had no intention to go down that same road to chess hell again. But, alas, it was in vain. He deviated in wrong way, and had to part with two pawns and a castle in the opening, and before I could relieve him of his castle, he resigned. On move 12: https://lichess.org/KMKE2xYk1CSZ

Opening traps are horrible things.

Maybe they should be forbidden?

https://tinyurl.com/C-K-anti-tank

William Hyde

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Sep 9, 2021, 4:24:12 PM9/9/21
to
Slow learner. He's lost by move four, and apparently you have done this to him before.

1800 rated? Please, at the club he'd have been 1100 at best.
>
> Opening traps are horrible things.

The first time you surprised him with it. But the other three times?

You can't force people to play well. Or even adequately.

William Hyde

Eli Kesef

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Sep 17, 2021, 10:27:47 AM9/17/21
to
Bs"d

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot force it to drink.

If I can drown them time and again in the same pool it's OK with me.

I guess at one point he should learn....

https://tinyurl.com/CaKa-rap

Eli Kesef

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Sep 18, 2021, 7:32:36 PM9/18/21
to
Bs"d

So I slaughtered hundreds of people with the Englund gambit. It is just that lately it seems that nobody is falling for it. And the Englund is one trap that if the enemy doesn't fall for it, you end up with a rotten position.
So I thought, let's switch to the Budapest gambit for a while, and see what happens. It has a handful of traps in it, and you don't end up with a rotten position if the enemy doesn't fall for it. Like the Englund, you can only play it if the enemy starts out with d4, and cooperates to get the Budapest on the board.
So I gave it a try. And lo and behold, the first try was a great success. No mate within 10 moves, but the opponent had to give up his queen for a horse and a bishop. On move 8. https://lichess.org/M7g5N4zgxk3e

He played on to the mate in move 38, but I was 6 points ahead, so I was enjoying myself. I sacrificed a pawn on move 2, as opposed to move 1 in the Englund. But I got the pawn back, with interest. The interest being the queen of enemy, for only a horse and bishop.

I've got to try this more often.

https://tinyurl.com/buda-gamb


William Hyde

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Sep 19, 2021, 6:22:16 PM9/19/21
to
On Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7:32:36 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs"d
>
> So I slaughtered hundreds of people with the Englund gambit. It is just that lately it seems that nobody is falling for it. And the Englund is one trap that if the enemy doesn't fall for it, you end up with a rotten position.
> So I thought, let's switch to the Budapest gambit for a while, and see what happens. It has a handful of traps in it, and you don't end up with a rotten position if the enemy doesn't fall for it. Like the Englund, you can only play it if the enemy starts out with d4, and cooperates to get the Budapest on the board.
> So I gave it a try. And lo and behold, the first try was a great success. No mate within 10 moves, but the opponent had to give up his queen for a horse and a bishop. On move 8. https://lichess.org/M7g5N4zgxk3e

A fun little trap.

Have you considered the Albin counter gambit? It's very, very tricky. I don't know if today it is regarded as absolutely satisfactory, but it was played by the likes of Lasker, so it can't be too bad. It may not be quite as sound as the Budapest, but is, I think, a bit trappier. And far sounder than the Englund.

I can say from experience that even a 2000 player facing someone booked up in it has his work cut out for him.

On the white side, have you considered the Blackmar-Diemer? It's not considered to be utterly sound but it has its devotees and there is quite a bit of literature on it. I had a strong friend, who, as black, always transposed to the QGD so as to deny anyone the chance to play the BD against him.

William Hyde

Eli Kesef

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Sep 22, 2021, 2:47:27 AM9/22/21
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Bs”d

On Monday, September 20, 2021 at 1:22:16 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
> On Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7:32:36 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
> > Bs"d
> >
> > So I slaughtered hundreds of people with the Englund gambit. It is just that lately it seems that nobody is falling for it. And the Englund is one trap that if the enemy doesn't fall for it, you end up with a rotten position.
> > So I thought, let's switch to the Budapest gambit for a while, and see what happens. It has a handful of traps in it, and you don't end up with a rotten position if the enemy doesn't fall for it. Like the Englund, you can only play it if the enemy starts out with d4, and cooperates to get the Budapest on the board.
> > So I gave it a try. And lo and behold, the first try was a great success. No mate within 10 moves, but the opponent had to give up his queen for a horse and a bishop. On move 8. https://lichess.org/M7g5N4zgxk3e
> A fun little trap.
>
> Have you considered the Albin counter gambit? It's very, very tricky. I don't know if today it is regarded as absolutely satisfactory, but it was played by the likes of Lasker, so it can't be too bad. It may not be quite as sound as the Budapest, but is, I think, a bit trappier. And far sounder than the Englund.

Bs"d

The Albin counter gambit was one of the first traps I learned, about 35 years ago. I tried it several times, both on the club and online, but I never was able to catch anybody with it, so I quit playing it. Also, the Englund became my favoured reply to d5. And it did have some succes on the club with the Budapest gambit, so I never actually caught somebody with the Albin counter gambit trap.
>
> I can say from experience that even a 2000 player facing someone booked up in it has his work cut out for him.
>
> On the white side, have you considered the Blackmar-Diemer? It's not considered to be utterly sound but it has its devotees and there is quite a bit of literature on it. I had a strong friend, who, as black, always transposed to the QGD so as to deny anyone the chance to play the BD against him.

I always start with e4, because I hate closed positions. But I once learned the Halosar trap, and for that you have to start with the Blackmar-Diemer. I tried it once against a Russian in the park, and the result was spectacular. I played that game over in Lichess. Was not so hard, because it was only 10 moves, and a game like that you just don't forget. I uploaded it into my imported games, you can see it here: https://lichess.org/ioWa92Bk#15
I think it is a VERY good trap, because almost all the moves of the enemy are so obvious and good looking for him. After I give him the pawn on e4, I start attacking his pawn on e4 with Nc3. Then of course he protects it with Nf6. Very logical move. Then I play f3, and that is a golden opportunity for the enemy to get rid of that almost indefensible double pawn, so of course he will do exf3. Then I do a weird thing, I take with the queen in stead of with the horse on g1. That looks weird, the opponent thinks I don't know what I'm doing, because he can take yet another pawn on d4 with his queen, and as the saying goes: "Pawns they will devour always!". So he took the pawn with his queen. Then I attack his queen with Be3, and his queen has to move. And the place where you want him, on b4, looks very good to the enemy, because then he is yet again attacking something. So I do the long castling. (not the long rooking) And by doing that I give him the opportunity to skewer my queen and castle. That is simple to see, and who would not want to do that? They think my queen has to move, and they pick up my castle, and have good profit. Considering my play so far they just think I'm a rotten player, and they happily skewer me. And the move I play then, Nb5, must be a horrible shock for them. I sacrifice my queen, and go for a walk with my horse.
It is easy enough to see that taking the queen would lead to an immediate mate, so that Russian played Na6, to prevent the horse mating him on c7. Then my queen smacks in on b7 attacking the castle and the horse. Then he played castle to b8, trying to chase away my queen with his castle, realizing I could take his horse, but thinking that he then could take my horse on b4, and getting rid of the mate threat. However, what he overlooked was that I could again sacrifice my queen, that is two queen sacrifices in a game of ten moves, :D because if he takes the queen with the horse, the mate with my horse on c7 is back on the table. And since there were no other options to stop the check, and mate in one is unavoidable, he resigned.
A kiebitzing Russian said: “Don’t give up, you can take the queen with your horse!” but my enemy pointed out that that would lead to mate in one, then the kiebitzer said: “Very good! Very good!”

Games like that you don’t forget.

And that even though I didn’t play any chess. Just played over the moves that I learned by heart.

Opening traps are an enormous amount of fun!

Maybe I should try that Halosar more often.

https://tinyurl.com/trappish

Eli Kesef

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Sep 23, 2021, 3:14:55 PM9/23/21
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Bs¨d

So I got myself a Boden-Kieseritzky gambit, which made me come out of the opening with a castle more than the enemy: https://lichess.org/8Y5b65PVJL2D

Thank God for trappy gambits!

https://tinyurl.com/trappy-gambit

Eli Kesef

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Sep 25, 2021, 5:16:25 PM9/25/21
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On Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 1:06:36 AM UTC+3, Eli Kesef wrote:
Bs¨d

Sidonio is unlucky against me. Just met him again, but now Sidonio, who was then rated 1823, had white, so no Caro-Kann.

So of course I went for the Stafford gambit, so I played the Russian defense, but the enemy didn´t cooperate, and no Stafford gambit materialized. In stead he came at me with a Fried Liver. But, like I told you guys before, those two grand masters gave me a very trappy answer for when somebody is trying to fry my liver. So I played the usual crazy looking answer to his attempted Fried Liver, and he proceeded to smack in with his horse on f7, forking my queen and castle. The result was that I mated him on move 8: https://lichess.org/NRGgn6QkiMHd

Personally I think that that was a very satisfactory refutation of his Fried Liver.

Thank God for opening traps.

https://tinyurl.com/Hallel-starry3

William Hyde

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Sep 29, 2021, 6:21:08 PM9/29/21
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On Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 2:47:27 AM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs”d
> On Monday, September 20, 2021 at 1:22:16 AM UTC+3, William Hyde wrote:
> > On Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 7:32:36 PM UTC-4, Eli Kesef wrote:
> > > Bs"d
> > >
> > > So I slaughtered hundreds of people with the Englund gambit. It is just that lately it seems that nobody is falling for it. And the Englund is one trap that if the enemy doesn't fall for it, you end up with a rotten position.
> > > So I thought, let's switch to the Budapest gambit for a while, and see what happens. It has a handful of traps in it, and you don't end up with a rotten position if the enemy doesn't fall for it. Like the Englund, you can only play it if the enemy starts out with d4, and cooperates to get the Budapest on the board.
> > > So I gave it a try. And lo and behold, the first try was a great success. No mate within 10 moves, but the opponent had to give up his queen for a horse and a bishop. On move 8. https://lichess.org/M7g5N4zgxk3e
> > A fun little trap.
> >
> > Have you considered the Albin counter gambit? It's very, very tricky. I don't know if today it is regarded as absolutely satisfactory, but it was played by the likes of Lasker, so it can't be too bad. It may not be quite as sound as the Budapest, but is, I think, a bit trappier. And far sounder than the Englund.
> Bs"d
>
> The Albin counter gambit was one of the first traps I learned, about 35 years ago. I tried it several times, both on the club and online, but I never was able to catch anybody with it, so I quit playing it. Also, the Englund became my favoured reply to d5. And it did have some succes on the club with the Budapest gambit, so I never actually caught somebody with the Albin counter gambit trap.

You may want to reconsider. The Albin is not a trap, but an opening with many traps in it. Evading the first does not mean white is out of the woods.

Or as an FM friend of mine put it, while playing another master "He didn't fall for my first cheapo, but he did fall for the second". In the lingo of the times, cheapo = trap. The FM had a third lined up, which he got to play in a later game.

While browsing old chess magazines last night, I ran across an Albin game, Taylor-Tasev, Canada 1983. Taylor was a solid 2300 at the time, Tasev about 2000. One hundred and fifty games were submitted for the brilliancy prize in this event, but the judges said that Tasev's win was by far the best.

Of course if he doesn't fall for one of the many traps you may find yourself having to play a full game. But perhaps, like Mr Tasev, you'll find a way to win anyway.


William Hyde

Eli Kesef

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Oct 1, 2021, 5:40:49 AM10/1/21
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On Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 2:36:17 AM UTC+3, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs"d
>
> So I bought myself a second hand chess book for next to nothing; "Teach Yourself Chess" by IM Bill Hartston, 2 times winner of the British Championship, and the first one to stack the pieces from an entire chess set on top of a single white castle.
>
> Parts of the book looks like rats have been eating it, but everything is still very well readable, thank God.
>
> It's a very nice book, you can teach yourself chess with it, and it has about everything, openings, endgames, tactics, history of chess, illustrative games, very nice book for a beginner or club player: https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Chess-McGraw-Hill/dp/0844230502
>
> So in that book I found an interesting gambit in the Italian opening, (aka giuoco piano) where you gambiteer not one, but two pawns. And it has a wonderful trap in it.
> So I spent my free Saturday learning that trap with all its variations by heart, and after the sun had set, I cranked up my computer, and gave it a shot on Lichess. It took a few games, but lo and behold, after I played the bishop opening, my favorite, some opponent turned it into the Italian opening. So I offered him a pawn, and he took it. I offered him a second pawn, and he took it. Then I offered him a castle, but he didn't take it. Didn't make a difference though, because it was too late already. He fought hard, but to no avail; he came out of the opening with a bishop missing: https://lichess.org/Ig4sFrqZMgJ0
> And from there it was all downhill, I exchanged everything, got myself an exchange on top of it, got into and endgame with a castle more, and the enemy surrendered unconditionally.
>
> Great trap! I want to try that more often.
>
> https://tinyurl.com/trappish

Bs"d

So I had an 1831 and I played the Italian opening against him, and he responded in kind, the usual Italian defense. And again I tried the trap that I got from above book, and again it worked like a charm. The enemy came out of the opening with a castle missing: https://lichess.org/lWIHEADlGWKD

He could have gotten away with only giving up a horse or bishop for two pawns, but he was kind enough to give me a whole castle, which I gratefully accepted.

You don't give the enemy just a pawn, you give him TWO pawns, and then usually he chokes on 'm.

Opening traps a beautiful things.

HalleluJah!!

https://tinyurl.com/beerklem

Eli Kesef

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Oct 5, 2021, 4:57:23 AM10/5/21
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Bs"d

So I told you guys about the crazy looking answer to an attempted Fried Liver, which I learned from 2 grandmasters. Those 2 grandmasters wrote the book "222 Opening Traps after 1.e4": https://www.edition-olms.com/buecher/222-opening-traps-after-1-e4/ and I bought that book, and so I learned that trap from them two grandmasters.

But o horror, I saw the same trap on youtube, free for the whole world. Terrible! The genie is out of the bottle! Almost 70,000 people have watched that youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyt01xy_ytg Now everybody can learn that trap for free! That's not the way it should be....

And even worse, another trap of mine I found on youtube, it has almost TWO MILLION views! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vhu9qDkkws Looks like everybody and his mother is learning opening traps.
That must be why I have so few people falling for my opening traps lately. Terrible!
Youtube is riddled with opening traps.

Well, something good came out of it; I learned a few more good variations of that anti-Fried Liver.

But it looks like the era where you could trap people left and right with simple traps is over. Everybody is jumping on the trap train. :(

Who said life is easy....

https://tinyurl.com/lifes-fault





Ken Blake

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Oct 5, 2021, 12:19:11 PM10/5/21
to
On 10/5/2021 1:57 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs"d
>
> So I told you guys about the crazy looking answer to an attempted Fried Liver, which I learned from 2 grandmasters. Those 2 grandmasters wrote the book "222 Opening Traps after 1.e4": https://www.edition-olms.com/buecher/222-opening-traps-after-1-e4/ and I bought that book, and so I learned that trap from them two grandmasters.
>
> But o horror, I saw the same trap on youtube, free for the whole world. Terrible! The genie is out of the bottle! Almost 70,000 people have watched that youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyt01xy_ytg Now everybody can learn that trap for free! That's not the way it should be....



There is no Fried Liver Attack or attempted Fried Liver Attack in that game.

The fried liver attack is

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Nf6
4. Ng5


That move is *not* the Fried Liver Attack. It's one of the two main
lines in that position; the other is 4. d4. As far as I know, 4. Ng5
has no name.


4. ... d5
5. exd5 Nxd5

Generally considered a poor move. Fairly standard is (or at least used
to be) Na5, but Nd4 (the Fritz Variation) or g5 (the Ulvestad Variation)
are also good. I used to almost always play the Fritz.

6. Nxf7

It's *that* move, the sacrifice of the knight, that gets the name "Fried
Liver Attack" (translated from the Italian "Fegatello."

Back in my day, 5. Nxf7 was usually considered a poor move and the
correct move was instead 6. d4. I might be wrong, but I think there have
been recent improvements in the Fried Liver Attack, and it's more
playable than was thought then.


--
Ken

Eli Kesef

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Oct 5, 2021, 1:31:44 PM10/5/21
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On Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 7:19:11 PM UTC+3, Ken Blake wrote:
> On 10/5/2021 1:57 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
> > Bs"d
> >
> > So I told you guys about the crazy looking answer to an attempted Fried Liver, which I learned from 2 grandmasters. Those 2 grandmasters wrote the book "222 Opening Traps after 1.e4": https://www.edition-olms.com/buecher/222-opening-traps-after-1-e4/ and I bought that book, and so I learned that trap from them two grandmasters.
> >
> > But o horror, I saw the same trap on youtube, free for the whole world. Terrible! The genie is out of the bottle! Almost 70,000 people have watched that youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyt01xy_ytg Now everybody can learn that trap for free! That's not the way it should be....

Bs"d

I'm confused here. First you say this:
> There is no Fried Liver Attack or attempted Fried Liver Attack in that game.
>
> The fried liver attack is
>
> 1. e4 e5
> 2. Nf3 Nc6
> 3. Bc4 Nf6
> 4. Ng5

So far I can agree with you.

But then you say:

> That move is *not* the Fried Liver Attack. It's one of the two main
> lines in that position; the other is 4. d4. As far as I know, 4. Ng5
> has no name.

First you say 4. Ng5 is the Fried liver, next you say: "4. Ng5 is NOT the Fried Liver, it has no name." ????

https://tinyurl.com/chess-complex

Ken Blake

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Oct 5, 2021, 3:07:21 PM10/5/21
to
On 10/5/2021 10:31 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
> On Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at 7:19:11 PM UTC+3, Ken Blake wrote:
>> On 10/5/2021 1:57 AM, Eli Kesef wrote:
>> > Bs"d
>> >
>> > So I told you guys about the crazy looking answer to an attempted Fried Liver, which I learned from 2 grandmasters. Those 2 grandmasters wrote the book "222 Opening Traps after 1.e4": https://www.edition-olms.com/buecher/222-opening-traps-after-1-e4/ and I bought that book, and so I learned that trap from them two grandmasters.
>> >
>> > But o horror, I saw the same trap on youtube, free for the whole world. Terrible! The genie is out of the bottle! Almost 70,000 people have watched that youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyt01xy_ytg Now everybody can learn that trap for free! That's not the way it should be....
>
> Bs"d
>
> I'm confused here. First you say this:
>> There is no Fried Liver Attack or attempted Fried Liver Attack in that game.
>>
>> The fried liver attack is
>>
>> 1. e4 e5
>> 2. Nf3 Nc6
>> 3. Bc4 Nf6
>> 4. Ng5
>
> So far I can agree with you.


There's nothing to agree with so far. I haven't made any point yet.


> But then you say:
>
>> That move is *not* the Fried Liver Attack. It's one of the two main
>> lines in that position; the other is 4. d4. As far as I know, 4. Ng5
>> has no name.
>
> First you say 4. Ng5 is the Fried liver,


No, I did not say that. Read more carefully. What I said is that the line

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Nf6
4. Ng5 d5
5. exd5 Nxd5
6. Nxf7

is the Fried Liver Attack.

It's the sixth White move, Nxf7, that makes that line the Fried Liver
Attack, not 4. Ng5.


> next you say: "4. Ng5 is NOT the Fried Liver,


Correct; it's not.


> it has no name."


"...as far as I know." It's simply one of the two most common white
fourth moves in the two Knight's Defense, the other, as I said, is 4.
d4. I'll grant you the possibility that someone has given 4. Ng5 a name
that I'm not aware of.

Also note that if white plays 4. Ng5, black does not have to play 4...d5
or 4...Nxe4. Another possibility is 4...Bc5, which is called the
Wilkes-Barre Variation or the Traxler Counterattack.


--
Ken

Eli Kesef

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Oct 5, 2021, 4:22:22 PM10/5/21
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Bs"d

OK, I got the picture.

So I think it is reasonably safe to say it is an attempted Fried Liver. He is trying to go for it. And that's what I said in my post: "So I told you guys about the crazy looking answer to an attempted Fried Liver".

An attempted Fried Liver is I think not so wrong.

Anyway, this was not about semantics, it's about that trap when the opponent answers the two horses defense with horse g5, trying to smack in on f7.

It's a nice trap, I caught some people with it already, it's just that it is publicized on youtube, waking up the whole chess world to that trap, spoiling it for me.

And I hate facing the Traxler when I attempt the Fried Liver, even though nowadays I make it the Lollie attack, because I first play 6. d4, which according to Bobby Fischer makes the attack much stronger.

https://tinyurl.com/calm-win

Ken Blake

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Oct 5, 2021, 6:21:58 PM10/5/21
to
Good, glad to hear it.



> So I think it is reasonably safe to say it is an attempted Fried Liver.


No. There's no way you can know that. If the game goes

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Nf6
4. Ng5 d5
5. exd5

white doesn't know what black might play next. Yes, some players might
play 5...Nx5 and give him the opportunity to play the Fried Liver
Attack, but most players with opening knowledge would play 5...Na5. And
some players (me, for example) would play 5...Nd4, the Fritz variation.
And so on.

Moreover, even if black plays 5...Nxd5, there's no way you can know that
white will reply with 6. Nxf7, the Fried Liver Attack. He might, but he
might not. He might well prefer to play the theoretically better 6. d4



> Anyway, this was not about semantics, it's about that trap when the opponent answers the two horses defense with horse g5, trying to smack in on f7.


Yes, I understood your point. I was simply commenting on your misuse of
the term "Fried Liver Attack" and trying to educate you on what that meant.



> It's a nice trap, I caught some people with it already, it's just that it is publicized on youtube, waking up the whole chess world to that trap, spoiling it for me.
>
> And I hate facing the Traxler when I attempt the Fried Liver,


Yes, the Traxler can be very dangerous.



> even though nowadays I make it the Lollie attack, because I first play 6. d4, which according to Bobby Fischer makes the attack much stronger.


As I said, 6.d4 was widely believed to be much sounder than the Fried
Liver Attack. Is it still considered better? Probably, but I'm not up on
the latest opening research so I can't be sure.

By the way, in all the years I knew Bobby Fischer, I can't remember his
ever playing 3. Bc4. Did he ever play it? Perhaps, but I either never
saw him play it or don't remember, so it certainly wasn't a standard
opening for him, so I'd be wary of putting too much credence on what he
said about lines that result from it. He was much more likely to play
the Ruy Lopez, and especially the exchange variation.




--
Ken

Eli Kesef

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Oct 5, 2021, 8:30:28 PM10/5/21
to
On Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at 1:21:58 AM UTC+3, Ken Blake wrote:

> By the way, in all the years I knew Bobby Fischer, I can't remember his
> ever playing 3. Bc4. Did he ever play it? Perhaps, but I either never
> saw him play it or don't remember, so it certainly wasn't a standard
> opening for him, so I'd be wary of putting too much credence on what he
> said about lines that result from it. He was much more likely to play
> the Ruy Lopez, and especially the exchange variation.

Bs"d

Here is a game of Bobby playing the Italian opening with 4. Ng5: https://books.google.co.il/books?id=kQ3fAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT81&lpg=PT81&dq=Bobby+Fischer,+e4+e5+Nf3+Nc6+Bc4&source=bl&ots=wSRD1nyszr&sig=ACfU3U2TRPdulVrdj7Qv3phbAFbsszjm6w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwzrSWw7TzAhWymFwKHW2LC9AQ6AF6BAgYEAM#v=onepage&q=Bobby%20Fischer%2C%20e4%20e5%20Nf3%20Nc6%20Bc4&f=false

Eli Kesef

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Oct 14, 2021, 4:19:15 PM10/14/21
to
Bs"d

This could have been a sudden death on move 8, if only the enemy would have taken my queen: https://lichess.org/9pfIupxohrku

He didn't take my queen, so I took his queen, on move 8, after which he resigned. Any chance that this would qualify as a "sudden death on move 8"?

He died on move 8. Quite suddenly.

But it wasn't mate.

Difficult, difficult.

Just to be on the safe side I didn't post it under "Sudden Death on move 8". I want to keep that thread pure and undiluted.

https://tinyurl.com/dev-Stafford

Ken Blake

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Oct 14, 2021, 6:35:30 PM10/14/21
to
On 10/14/2021 1:19 PM, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs"d
>
> This could have been a sudden death on move 8, if only the enemy would have taken my queen: https://lichess.org/9pfIupxohrku
>
> He didn't take my queen, so I took his queen, on move 8, after which he resigned. Any chance that this would qualify as a "sudden death on move 8"?
>
> He died on move 8. Quite suddenly.
>
> But it wasn't mate.


What a wonderful game! I'm impressed that with so little experience with
the Stafford Gambit, you played so brilliantly.


--
Ken

Eli Kesef

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Oct 14, 2021, 6:59:34 PM10/14/21
to
Bs"d

Thank you Ken. You make me blush.

But it is not me who is so brilliant, all honor belongs to the Stafford gambit.

https://tinyurl.com/Deadly-Staff

Eli Kesef

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Oct 15, 2021, 7:06:32 AM10/15/21
to
Bs"d

For those amongst us who think that in this game https://lichess.org/9pfIupxohrku the enemy blundered horribly in taking the bishop on move 8, causing by that the loss of his queen, they are wrong. If he would have kept on protecting his queen by not taking the bishop but moving the king to e2, then Bg4+ would have followed, after which the white king has no choice than to capture the bishop on f2, and then he would have anyway lost his queen with Qxd1.
So it would only have delayed the inevitable with one move.

Just saying.

https://tinyurl.com/beerklem

Eli Kesef

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Oct 15, 2021, 7:21:31 AM10/15/21
to
Bs"d

So I switched from the Englund gambit to the Budapest gambit. It is not as spectacular as the Englund when that leads to a mate on move 8, but sometimes it works nicely. Like in this freshly played game: https://lichess.org/PDZoXjYnmQah Here the enemy had to part with his queen on move 8, and got in return only two light pieces. And I got the invested pawn back, plus one pawn interest, so I was 4 points ahead. He still had 4 light pieces and two castles, so there was a lot of play left for him, and I had to proceed with extreme caution. But simply exchanging everything I could exchange worked very well, and victory was mine. HalleluJah!!

https://is.gd/trappy_gamb

Eli Kesef

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Oct 25, 2021, 2:04:12 AM10/25/21
to
Bs"d

The Stafford gambit claimed a new victim. No mate in 8, but the enemy had to part with an exchange in the opening: https://lichess.org/sq2dRBDwBAhp
After the gambit he pushed his e pawn forward, attacking my horse. My horse jumped to e4, having a beautiful nice forward position. Unfortunately he didn't play d3, because then you can get this beautiful line in which the enemy loses his queen on move 9: https://lichess.org/wCjvJb0r/black#20

In stead of d3 he played d4, protecting his e5 pawn, after which my queen moved to h4, threatening mate on f2. Then he played the natural but horrible move g3, after which my horse smacked in on g3, winning back my gambiteerd pawn. Of course he couldn't take with hxg3, because he would immediately lose his castle on h1, so he took the longer route, and took my horse with fxg3, after which my queen checked him on e4, and next move the queen picked up the castle on h1. The rest was smooth sailing. The enemy fought on until the mate on move 79. :D

The Stafford gambit did it again!

https://tinyurl.com/keep-calm-play

Eli Kesef

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Oct 25, 2021, 6:04:30 PM10/25/21
to
On Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 1:06:36 AM UTC+3, Eli Kesef wrote:
> Bs"d
>
> Just played another game against Sidonio, 1800+. He played a Caro-Kann against me, so I played my trap against him, and it didn't really go all the way according to the book. I was wondering why. Then I saw that this was the 13th game I was playing against Sidionio. After the game was over, I saw that he was a fanatic Caro-Kann player, and I saw that I slaughtered him three times with my Caro-Kann trap.
> For the connoisseur, here are the games:
>
> https://lichess.org/xPsP3V6i#25
> https://lichess.org/5LGZwtc6#25
> https://lichess.org/ZkrXST2r#23
>
> So after biting the dust three times against the same opening trap, he got the hang of it, and didn't fall for it anymore.
>
> Still he came out of the opening with a lousy position, and I managed to take him down in 16 moves: https://lichess.org/lSNNhmba#35
>
> All is well that ends well.
>
> https://tinyurl.com/CaKa-trap

Bs"d

I run into Sidonio again. This time I had black, so no Caro-Kann trap. But fortunately, he tried a Fried Liver on me, and my new anti-Fried Liver defense, which I learned from those two GM's, came through again: https://lichess.org/TG3d0Ear/black

Sidonio came out of the opening with a horse missing, and on move 24 he resigned.

This interesting crazy looking answer to an attempted Fried Liver, or, to keep Ken happy and to avoid a new debate about what is and what isn't a Fried Liver, this answer to an attempt to smack a horse in on f7, supported by a bishop on c4 which also attacks f7, that answer actually seems to have a name, that name being the Ponziani-Steinitz gambit.

Sidonio was kind enough to blunder away a horse in this weird opening, something I really appreciate. The playing goes just much more relaxed when you're a horse ahead.

http://tiny.cc/sacc-opp
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