Posted from MooseMouse, for use in your scholastic clubs, feel free to share.
Meet the Blackburne Gambit. It's a trap that you'll see now and then. Rick Kennedy says "From my students' experience, it works well up to the 1400 level". In this article, we'll see how it works, and how to SMASH anyone who tries it against you.
Hey, didn't Black just unprotect his e-pawn? Hey, can't I take it with my knight and have a great attack against f7? This is the trap.
Josh Waitzkin describes in detail in his book "Attacking Chess" how he fell for this trap in the last round of the National Elementary Championships, even though his coach had shown it to him earlier! It's oh so tempting. The only problem is, after 4.Nxe5? Black has 4...Qg5! I've seen three tournament games end in the following fashion. (Watch the footnotes to each move.)
There are other lines, but you get the idea.
So, don't fall for it. Don't take the e-pawn on Move 4. An article in the March 2011 "Chess Life" magazine give you two ways to refute this trap, a solid way, and a shocking way. Vincent Moret in his book "My First Opening Repertoire for White" shows a third way. Thrill seekers will go for the shocking way. No one will ever play the Blackburne Gambit against you twice!
First, here's the solid way to bust the gambit. Almost any move except 4.Nxd4 will give White a good game with a large lead in development, but GM de Firmian in MCO recommends this method, which contains a cool trap as well (click on the subvariation to see the trap):
Now here's the shocking way to bust the Blackburne Gambit. Play it with gusto and give your opponent's adrenaline glands a workout! (And yours, as well!)
And for the third way, here's what a young Vincent Moret learned when he tried the trap in his first rated tournament. His expert opponent let him think he fell into the trap. How cruel!
After Move 9, you have two pawns for a knight, a great attack, the entire center, and Black's king is stuck in the middle. (And the computer Rybka says you're better!)
Posted from MooseMouse, for use in your scholastic clubs, feel free to share.
Meet the Blackburne Gambit. It's a trap that you'll see now and then. Rick Kennedy says "From my students' experience, it works well up to the 1400 level". In this article, we'll see how it works, and how to SMASH anyone who tries it against you.
Hey, didn't Black just unprotect his e-pawn? Hey, can't I take it with my knight and have a great attack against f7? This is the trap.
Josh Waitzkin describes in detail in his book "Attacking Chess" how he fell for this trap in the last round of the National Elementary Championships, even though his coach had shown it to him earlier! It's oh so tempting. The only problem is, after 4.Nxe5? Black has 4...Qg5! I've seen three tournament games end in the following fashion. (Watch the footnotes to each move.)
There are other lines, but you get the idea.
So, don't fall for it. Don't take the e-pawn on Move 4. An article in the March 2011 "Chess Life" magazine give you two ways to refute this trap, a solid way, and a shocking way. Vincent Moret in his book "My First Opening Repertoire for White" shows a third way. Thrill seekers will go for the shocking way. No one will ever play the Blackburne Gambit against you twice!
First, here's the solid way to bust the gambit. Almost any move except 4.Nxd4 will give White a good game with a large lead in development, but GM de Firmian in MCO recommends this method, which contains a cool trap as well (click on the subvariation to see the trap):
Now here's the shocking way to bust the Blackburne Gambit. Play it with gusto and give your opponent's adrenaline glands a workout! (And yours, as well!)
And for the third way, here's what a young Vincent Moret learned when he tried the trap in his first rated tournament. His expert opponent let him think he fell into the trap. How cruel!
After Move 9, you have two pawns for a knight, a great attack, the entire center, and Black's king is stuck in the middle. (And the computer Rybka says you're better!)
Have fun! -Coach Kaech