I thought I would share something cool with you guys today. Its a trap I discovered (unfortunatly, I'm probably not the first to find it, but on the off chance I am, I get to name it after me, bitches.) In the scandinavian opening which I've used successfully against a number of oppenants (especially blitz and bullet). Below is a 1 0 game I played earlier today which uses this trap. But despite such controls, most of whites moves were reasonable, and his mistakes were less than obvoius (the right moves are very difficualt to find). Add to this that this the fact that the 'trap' is objectively sound then its clear that this is a dangerous weapon to have in ones repetoire.  


There is an awful lot of analysis here, most of which here because it is either instructive or looks pretty cool. hopefully I've explained everything clearly and you guys will find it entertaining and educational.


Enjoy!

[Event "Blitz:0'"]
[Date "2010.06.30"]
[Round "?"]
[White "NN"]
[Black "Blackadder"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1615"]
[BlackElo "1653"]
[PlyCount "38"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nf3 Bg4 4. Be2 Nf6 5. Nc3 {
...a fairly typical Scandinavian position} Qh5 {Qa5 is probably more common,
the problem with playing Qh5 right away is that after h3 trades are forced and
black doesnt end up with an advantage} 6. O-O Nc6 7. d4 O-O-O 8. Be3 {
So far, white has not blundered, all of his moves have been reasonable. But
now its time for black to put the pressure on, in short time controls the
right moves become increasingly difficualt to see.} e5 9. d5 {
The is playable, but requires white to play accuratly.} (9. h3 exd4 10. Nxd4
Bxe2 11. Ncxe2 (11. Qxe2 {?} Nxd4) (11. Ndxe2 {??} Rxd1) 11... Bc5 {
And things are pretty much equal}) 9... e4 10. Nd4 (10. Nd2 Bxe2 11. Qxe2 Qxe2
12. Nxe2 Rxd5 {...And black is fairly well develop and a pawn ahead. With that
said, Black might well find trying to hold the pawn difficualt.}) 10... Nxd4
11. Bxg4+ (11. Bxd4 Bxe2 12. Qxe2 (12. Nxe2 Nxd5) 12... Qxe2 13. Nxe2 Rxd5 {
...and just as before, black is up a pawn.}) (11. Qxd4 Bxe2 12. Nxe2 Qxe2 13.
Qxa7 Rxd5 14. Qa8+ Kd7 15. Qxb7 Bd6 {as we can see, white does not end up with
sufficient compensation for the piece: the black king is safe}) 11... Nxg4 {
winning a piece and threatening Qxh2#} 12. h3 {so many people play this move.
I think thats because in principle it seems strong (we counter the mate threat
with a move that skewers a knight), but its intuitive appeal does not stop it
from losing in a spectacular fashion. Bf4 is better by far.} (12. Bf4 c5 {
...and black is simply a peice up without any real weaknesses. (Bc5 is also
playable.)} 13. dxc6 {??} Nf3+ 14. gxf3 Rxd1 15. Raxd1 exf3 {!} 16. Rd7 bxc6 {
Black must not be hasty or underestimate whites attack (see variation)} (16...
Qh3 17. Rc7+ Kd8 18. Rd1+ Ke8 19. Re1+ Ne5 20. Rxe5+ Kd8 21. Rd7+ Qxd7 (21...
Kc8 22. Re8#) 22. cxd7) 17. Rc7+ Kb8 {
!   moving into a discovered check seems counterintiutive but here it works:} (
17... Kd8 18. Rd1+ Bd6 (18... Ke8 19. Re1+ Kd8 20. Rd1+ Bd6 {
...and we transpose to the other variation} 21. Rxd6+ Kxc7 22. Rh6+ Qe5 23.
Bxe5+ Nxe5 24. Rh4 {Black is a pawn up here.})) 18. Rxc6+ Bd6 19. Rxd6 (19.
Bxd6+ Ka8 {and now we can see the point of the Bd6 sacrifice: White has no
checks and no way to prevent mate. If you like solving tactical puzzles, its
black to move and mate in 5}) 19... Ka8 20. Rd3 {
the only move that prevents mate} Qh3 21. Rxf3 Qxf3 {
black now has a decisive adavantage}) 12... Nf3+ 13. Kh1 (13. gxf3 {...and it t
akes Rybka a while to spot the correct next move, to be fair, it is a long
sequence:} Qxh3 {!!} 14. fxg4 Bd6 15. f4 Qg3+ 16. Kh1 h5 {!} 17. g5 (17. gxh5
Qg6 {!!} 18. Bxa7 Rxh5+ 19. Qxh5 Qxh5+) 17... Qh3+ 18. Kg1 Qxe3+ 19. Kg2 {
...reclaiming the sacrificed piece: now black is a pawn ahead, has a passed
pawn and a king attack. Things aregood!}) 13... Qe5 14. g3 Qh5 {In my opinion,
this is quite a neat thematic attack: the Queen moves back and forth in order
to secure an advantage} 15. h4 (15. Kg2 Nxe3+ 16. fxe3 {
leaving black a bishop to the good.}) 15... Nxh4 {
And it was at this point that white lost on time. play might have continued:}
16. Nxe4 (16. gxh4 {puzzle lovers: Black to mate in 2}) 16... Nf5+ 17. Kg2
Nfxe3+ 18. fxe3 Nxe3+ 19. Kg1 Nxd1 1-0

*EDIT: sorted diagram

"[I don't like it because] Black doesn't end up with an advantage"

Mind sharing the rest of your repetoire?

Not really a trap considering white has played badly enough to allow black quite a large advantage.  I don't play this variation but h3 after 0-0 seems just better for white as black has wasted a tempo over Qa5 lines moving the queen.  h3 is played by white even without Qh5 by the way.

I wouldn't be suprised if you were the first to play it though.

Hmm, I don't really see the trap -- after 11.Bxg4 like you said white drops a piece and you can stop the analysis there.  11.Bxd4 and white is fine (or at least better than dropping a piece...) as you point out in your analysis.

Not really a trap considering white has played badly enough to allow black quite a large advantage.  I don't play this variation but h3 after 0-0 seems just better for white as black has wasted a tempo over Qa5 lines moving the queen.  h3 is played by white even without Qh5 by the way.


But in what sense did white play badly? -- this "trap" works in short time controls because reasonable looking moves are actually mistakes...its not like white just hangs a piece or fails to develop his peices.


And yes, I realise that 0-0 h3 doesnt really promise black anything. But the point is that it is not easy for white to work out why this needs to be played (esp in short time controls).



11.Bxg4 like you said white drops a piece and you can stop the analysis there. 


this is not quite true, since h3 attacks a second peice. If for example Nf6 then Qxh5 Nxh5 Bxd4 and black is left without any material advantage. thus, we cannot stop the analysis here. (using rybka, the 2nd best move [12. Nxc2] is scored as -0.13. Therefore black needs to play Nf3+, and we need to work out how nf3 works. 



11.Bxd4 and white is fine (or at least better than dropping a piece...) as you point out in your analysis.

Bxd4 is the better move but i'm not convinced that we should say 'white is fine' here: being a pawn up should offer black practical chances of wining [even though rykba's eval is -0.50]

Moreover, it is probably because people see that Bxd4 drops a pawn that they fool themselves into playing h3. 

 

So you play moves that rely on opponents making a mistake?  Well that's why I'll never understand lightning...

White played badly because he didn't notice the attack on the queen, or even worse, thought it was a bad idea.  He also didn't notice that black could play e5, and situations like this come up pretty frequently (In fact, JUST TODAY I analyzed a game where someone got smacked by e5, although not in the exact same way, quite similar).  Finally, although Qh5 is uncommon, I've seen it once before and remember the game, so I would be able to snap out the correct opening fairly easily.

Believe what you want, I'm bad at lightning - but I'm confident I would have found h3 if I played with you.

I guess I see what you mean -- trying to catch people off guard in blitz.  That's a fine strategy of course but chess traps that are named usually are putting pressure on the opponent to where it's hard to find a good move (and they usually win more than a pawn).  For example in your game white wasn't under any pressure and could even just waste a move (your 9.h3 line) and come out "pretty much equal".

So more accurately I'd say this is just a system of development you came up with where although you know it isn't ideal, hope your opponent makes some mistakes