Sunday 8 February 2009

Is it better to say nothing?

If you execute a successful opening trap, do you show it off to other chess players or do you keep it under your hat for next time? In this electronic age it is harder to do the latter anyway, but I am sure that there are those that try.
Of course, if you are generating content for a blog or chess magazine it is a lot harder, so in my case I am usually happy to publish, figuring that the readership is small enough to keep my secrets for me.
As an example I finished a game today which was decided by an opening trick in Van Geet's Opening. The diagrammed position was after Black's 4th move, and is a Scotch, except for the fact that White has not played 1.e4 instead replacing it with 1.Nc3. This is quite a common line when Black meets 1.Nc3 with 1. ... e5 and until now I've usually exchanged on c6 and and then played 6.e4 (reaching a normal Scotch). However 5.Be3 is a tricky move and my opponent obliged by exchanging on d4 (rather than 5. ... Bb6!). As with all good tricks a plausible idea (7. ... Qf6) is met with a surprising reply (8.Qe3+!). My opponent blocked with the queen on e7 but after 9.Qg3 the double attack (g7 and c7) nets a pawn.

Press,S - Beare,N [A00]
Chessworld Friendly, 02.2009

1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 (D) 5.Be3 Nxd4 6.Bxd4 Bxd4 7.Qxd4 Qf6 8.Qe3+ Qe7 9.Qg3 and White won.

2 comments:

Phil Bourke said...

[Event "Baltic Sea Cup"]
[Site "Bornholm DEN"]
[Date "2008.08.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Marzano, C."]
[Black "Von Wantoch, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2177"]
[BlackElo "1907"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2008.07.29"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "DEN"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2008.08.11"]

1. Nc3 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Nxd4 6. Bxd4 Bxd4 7. Qxd4
Qf6 8. Qe3+ Qe7 9. Qg3 Nf6 10. Qxc7 O-O 11. O-O-O b6 12. e3 Ne8 13. Nd5 Qe6 14.
Qd8 Nd6 15. Ne7+ 1-0

No point in trying to hide a trap if it has already been shown :)

Nick Beare said...

Hi Shaun,

I was hoping you would play 5.nxc6 so I could play Qf3. Oh well lesson learnt.