Fun trap in the Scandinavian
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vegma
Apr 22, 2018
0
#1
Fin den der
Apr 23, 2018
0
#4
Lou: "What happens if black doesn’t play along?"
Well, sometimes he does. I have won a few blitz games with this variant. If blacks chooses different moves, anything can happen. White must then be very careful.
Apr 23, 2018
0
#5
My brain can’t move fast enough for blitz. I can see where black may fall into this if there is not enough time to think of the correct moves.
This trap is part of a series of the Tennison gambit traps. Any line where black accepts the gambit and tries to protect the one pawn advantage results in problems starting from heavy material disadvantages for black, to extremely stunted development, to even a checkmate for white. Black does not have to worry about any of these traps as long as he lets white recapture the pawns quickly. If you want an interesting video on all the responses for white when black tries to hold the advantage, check out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uwqlAvVtdE.
Its called the Tennison Gambit. I am very fond of it and play it almost exclsively against the Scandinavian.
I will share this game though for you could get your own queen trapped if you are not careful. 9. Qxc7 traps the White queen after black's e5. I still won that game but I did learn not to fall for that trap.
Some more games in the OP's line-
This is a really great gambit line and I will be sure to try it in my blitz games. When I first saw it I thought, “there’s no way this crazy trap will actually work when heavily analyzed by a computer”, but I plugged it in to the analysis board and Black never actually gets a full pawn advantage until after it’s too late😉
5...Bd7 does sort of screw the idea though as it shields the black queen from the revealed attack. This move, however, does take some serious foresight and can only be played, I believe, by a computer or a player who has seen the gambit before.
Just a piece of advice. ONLY EVER PLAY THESE TRAPS IN FAST TIME CONTROLS. I cannot emphasise on that point more. In blitz or bullet, people cannot figure what you are doing fast enough, and you can get away with traps. In the uncommon instance you come across someone who declines the gambit, or someone who is familiar with these traps, it shouldn't matter, as you can play a normal, trapless game of chess where you follow standard protocol.
However, in rapid games, there are a number of different ways that black can refuse the gambit and come up better (removing your king's castling rights etc. Here is an example of where it could backfire:
Though this position isn't too much worse for white, it is still worse, and without the ability to castle, this can be quite problematic for white.
Just for the fun of it, i'll show you another possible trap in this gambit for those of you who can't be bothered to watch a 15 minute video:
Annotated for those who don't understand what is happening. BTW for those who are interested in opening traps- not that they help you improve- You should check out the notoriously bad Damiano defence. Cheers
Generally though, you should not resort so heavily on opening traps. They are quite amusing when they work, but they do not help you improve chess. They are fun to try in fast games, that's undeniable.
This is another thing you should avoid. I did this often in my early stages of using this trap.
For those of you out there who enjoying using this trap, this may be of interest to you. You will notice that rarely people open with the scandinavian. As white, opening with Nf3 often leads to a tennison gambit position. People usually respond to Nf3, the Reti opening, with d5. This will make them more comfortable than starting with the scandinavian, which loses a tempo if white captures the d pawn exd5 after queen recaptures. This makes people often think twice. However, after 1. Nf3 d5 2. e4, they will be more liable to recapture, as they won't have any qualms about recapturing as they do not lose a tempo, and they gain what they think is a free pawn. The Reti often leads to this gambit than the standard king's pawn opening.
For those of you who are wondering what will happen when black protects their pawn after 1. e4 d5 2. Nf3 dxe5 3. Ng5 f5, the lines are complicated to understand and you are better off checking the video above.
I will never understand how people can like playing opening traps. Most times it doesn't even work, and if it works then only because a) you memorized a certain line and b) your opponent played really badly. Where is the fun in that? I want to win due to my own ideas, my own tactics. But to each their own, I guess
LouStule wrote:
3...Qd5 blunts the trap.
Sorry man, but if you had watched the link i put up, you would know it doesn't.
Qd5 is another line in the trap. The reason i call this trap somewhat risky against a more levelheaded opponent is, though white is at an advantage in position, that isn't enough for a beginner to convert to a win. Until you get to a stage where you truly understand how chess works and understand that position can sometimes be better than material, the one less pawn can be somewhat problematic. (a good player should be able to convert the above position into a win, or at least a draw.
NelsonMoore wrote:
5,,, Nc6 develops a piece and defends the queen on d8 and black is just a pawn ahead.
Exactly. Like all traps, this trap can go wrong if your opponent gets what happening, and can lead you to bad positions. This is why in fast games, a pawn down isn't too consequential. Though it is well and good to rely on traps to win a game and have a laugh, it is best to know how to play chess positionally and tactically, where like h4_explosive said, you really get to win by your own merits.
The reason this trap is generally used at lower levels is because beginners have the natural instinct to chase away the knight. The proximity of the knight to the king, and the fact that it attacks the f7 square can make beginners really uneasy, This trap can really test your opponents mettle as well.
I could see these types of gambits working at scholastic tournaments.