What makes chess so interesting  besides millions of different variations, brilliant combinations, and beautiful mating patterns? Of course - cute traps! Setting up a trap is not an easy task. It involves certain risks: sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn, waste a move or give up initiative and if your opponent discovers your trap you are risking to lose your pawn or initiative in vain.

However if he falls for your trap, you'll regain twice as much! Have you ever set up a successful trap? Share it here! Let me start with a few traps in my own games on chess.com:    

   

 

In this situation I am setting up a trap by moving

the knight to e3 as though I wanted to attack white's pawn at c2.I am enticing my opponent to attack my passed pawn and move his king to f2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is another trap: black attacks white's bishop and I move my rook behind the bishop. The bishop is pinned now and I entice my opponent to attack it by his pawns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A trap in French defence: my knight is pinned and I move my bishop to unpin it. My opponent thinks I do it in order to prevent the possible doubling of pawns...

wow

I really liked the last one, good job!

Lol, you can't pin your own piece, it's called "defended".

Since you like traps you will like this one. Tell me ina  private message what they say when get mated. The opening is called Budapest.

ScorpionC wrote:

Lol, you can't pin your own piece, it's called "defended".

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 No, you must have misunderstood me. Since both of us are not English-speaking users, I thought you must understand me easily:) I meant something different: in example 2 I move my rook behind the bishop on purpose. I not only defend it but also make it pinned.

         Yes, and your example is very nice.

PS. I have demonstrated only successful traps of mine. But here is one awful!:

 

Here is an unsuccessful trap from the game I lost just now:I thought I would win an exchange here, but I missed the obvious move: rook takes bishop!

Great chess players always advise: look behind the obvious. I am trying to follow this advice so much, that I have stopped noticing the obvious:)

When creating a trap always check how opponent can solve this problem. Look for threats from opponent.

Yes, you are right: in this very example I was caught in my own trap

You wanna see a cool trap? Check my topic "Take a test" page 4. Try to find the answer.