any one ever hear of noas ark trap ed

This is a basic chess trap in the Ruy Lopez where the white Bishop gets trapped on the b3 square by the black pawns.  It goes something like this: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.d4 b5 6.Bb3 Nxd4 7.Nxd4 exd4 8.Qxd4 c5 9.Qd5 Be6 10.Qc6+ Bd7 11.Qd5 c4, trapping the Bishop.

Noah's

yes

 

cool

Don't get caught playing 5. d4

In response to Ziryab, 9. Qd3?? How about 9. Qd5 threatening mate on f7 and the rook on a8. If black tries to complete the Noah's ark with c4, white just takes the rook on a8.  Black can still win with 9. ... Be6, where the bishop defends the mate and now the queen defends the rook. 10. Qc6 Bd7 11. Qd5 again, threatening mate.

Loomis, Ra7 would save the rook and protect f7 as well. However, white can then play c4 and save the bishop.

Loomis wrote:

In response to Ziryab, 9. Qd3?? How about 9. Qd5 threatening mate on f7 and the rook on a8. If black tries to complete the Noah's ark with c4, white just takes the rook on a8.  Black can still win with 9. ... Be6, where the bishop defends the mate and now the queen defends the rook. 10. Qc6 Bd7 11. Qd5 again, threatening mate.

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 I wouldn't give Qd3 the blunder marker, especially as the better looking Qd5 forces Black to mobilize another piece before snatching the doomed bishop. The point of Qd3 is that white recognizes the earlier error and plays so as to get two pawns for the bishop.

More generally, "Noah's ark trap" is used to refer to this pattern of using pawns to drive back and trap a bishop against his own pawns on the knight three square on either side of the board and whether White or Black, in any opening or in the middle game. Does anybody know how this got the name of "Noah's ark?"

Now I remember. "Noah's ark" is a string figure, like a cat's cradle. I think the unfolding of diagonal patterns with the pawns and bishops in the Noah's ark trap made someone think of the diagonals in the string figure.

Maybe something about the flooding, or ending up on a rock, or something like that.

 

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yup, seen it

 

and know it

 

 

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