A Brilliant Trap in the Queen’s Gambit

A few words about the Queen’s Gambit
The Queen’s Gambit is one of the most common chess openings. It starts with the moves 1. d4 d5 2. c4. Here, I always respond with 2.. e5 against weaker opponents and 2.. e6 against stronger ones. The thing is, the move 2.. e5!? loses a pawn, and with perfect play, White can hold onto it despite numerous subtleties. Meanwhile, 2.. e6 is more passive, leading to a calmer game.

To set up this trap, you’ll need to play the 2.. e5 variation, after which the game continues with 3. dxe5 d4. As you can see in the diagram, Black is down a pawn, but their position isn't worse than White's. From here, White can play in various ways, and if you’re lucky, you can set up a beautiful trap. Let’s dive in!

Position after 3.. d4

Now, let’s talk about the trap itself.
The most common move for White that I’ve encountered is 3. Nf3 — White starts developing their pieces and attacks the d4 pawn. Black then defends the pawn with either 3.. Nc6 or 3.. Bc5 (both are playable). On the fourth move, White sometimes plays 4. a3 to control the b4 square. I always respond with 4.. a5 — this move is both logical and necessary for the trap. White typically follows with 5. e3, and that’s when the trap begins!

For the trap to work, Black should play either 5.. Nc6 or 5.. Bc5 (depending on your third move). Most players then go for 6. exd4.

You might think the correct move for Black is to recapture with the knight, 6.. Nxd4?!. However, that’s not the case. It may seem strange, but the only correct move in this position is 6.. Bxd4!. The vast majority of players will then play 7. Nxd4, as otherwise, they lose the e5 pawn (or so they think). Of course, you should capture the knight, not the pawn, so Black plays 7.. Qxd4.

White either plays 8. Qxd4 or makes some other move, losing the e5 pawn. If White plays 8. Qxd4, Black responds with the only reasonable move, 8.. Nxd4. At this point, Black’s position is clearly better.

Position after 8.. Nxd4

Indeed, Black suddenly threatens two forks at once: 9.. Nb3 and 9.. Nc2+. There’s only one reasonable defense against these forks: 9. Ra2. Naturally, Black’s pieces are far more active here, making their position superior and leading to a win in most cases.

Games with this trap
I’ve set this trap and won many times, but unfortunately, I’ll only show you one recent game (which is why I remembered this trap). Here it is (I won against a player with a fairly high rating):

Closing words
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