The Blitz Chronicles: A YouTuber’s Trap Opening Actually Worked

I am always wary of trap openings that you see all over Youtube. Play this series of dubious moves, and if your opponent isn’t paying attention, you’ll end up with a quick win. It isn't good chess and is just a way to steal quick points. The click bait creates bad habits, and anybody with any skill will avoid the trap, leaving you in a position in which you’re scrambling to hold. 

That being said, in a 5|5 blitz game this week, my opponent played the Fantasy Variation of the Caro-Kann against me, an opening I don’t have much experience against, so I went for what I knew. The day before, I watched International Master Alex Banzea’s Caro-Kann 1900-2000 Rating Climb, in which he discusses this trap as part of a game he plays. In the video, he doesn’t get a chance to complete the attack as his opponent naturally doesn’t fall for it, but he does show the possibilities. So when 3.f3 was played in my game, I went for it with 3…Qb6, and by the seventh move, I successfully mated my opponent. Ooo it felt so good! 

A brief interruption for a recommendation: I highly recommend Alex Banzea’s content especially if you are Caro-Kann player. A champion of the Caro-Kann, he offers high quality instruction and analysis in a way that is clear and funny. I’m always cracking up throughout his dry and witty commentary of lower player’s common mistakes while playing against the Caro-Kann. 

Below is my win in seven moves agains the Fantasy Variation. It was a fantasy game, in which I implemented an idea seen on a Youtube Channel. Maybe, not the most sound approach, but something that every Caro player should have in their tool chest. 

Just to make sure I am staying fundamentally sound, and advocating for really good chess on this blog, I found a game in which World Championship challenger Ding Liren defeats his compatriot Yi Wei in the Fantasy. 

One similarity between this game and the trap above is the way that Black takes advantage of the weakened diagonal created by an early f3. Ding continues to put pressure on that diagonal the entire game and in an end game that seemed to be headed towards a draw, he was able to find the winning combination.