The elephant trap - Good or Bad???

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seayun

Basic positions are

What next??


Ok But what if White knows the trap?

 

PLEASE FEEL FREE to leave a comment

Sea-Yun Pius C. Joung

Bookmarke

Black is not losing anything by setting up this trap. It just so happens that its there. If white doesn't take he just plays c6 later and then there are all sorts of ways to play from there.

By the way after 6. Nxd5 Nxd5 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ 8.Qd2 black doesn't have to take the queen and can just play Kxd8. If white takes the bishop then black gets a tempo with his knight. You're just giving white a chance to mess up when you leave your bishop on the board.

seayun

But.. if white does not take the pawn - the 'bait', there is an issue with a poorly positioned awkward knight on d7

MervynS

seayun, in the Queen's Gambit Declined, a black knight on d7 is quite common.

seayun

I would agree with you to some degree

csalami10

It is a good trap because it does not hurt your position. You can still continue to play normally if white knows the trap. And the knight on d7 is very well placed, it supports a c5/e5 pawn break.

seayun

True true - I think that if white knew the trap and played perfectly and precisely, then, it may hurt, slightly, but it may be considered sound at the non-professional level.

Gnagerprinsen2

Black might just as well, or maybe even better, take the bishop with his king instead of taking the queen immediately. She's not going anywhere.