Chess Traps
Things are not always what they seem. When your opponent makes a seemingly weird move, you better check for traps!
Here's what you need to know about chess traps:
- What Is A Chess Trap?
- Common Chess Traps
- Show Off Your Trap Setting Skills
- Wrapping Up
- Chess Traps Video
What Are Chess Traps?
Chess trap are famous combinations of moves designed to provoke a player to make a losing move. Those losing moves are usually very tempting and appear to be good but are, in fact, terrible.
The image above shows the well-known Legal's Trap, which we'll talk about shortly. For now, remember that you should always check for traps before you make a move, or you might get in trouble!
Common Chess Traps
There are a lot of traps in chess, some more well-known than others. Below are some of the traps you should know to impress your friends!
Legal's Trap
The Legal's Trap can happen when Black plays the Philidor Defense and tries to pin the white knight on f3 with their bishop. White can ignore the "pin" and capture the black pawn on e5!
Noah's Ark Trap
This trap happens in the Ruy Lopez opening after Black has chased away White's bishop with their a and b-pawns. If Black can get a third pawn to c4, they will trap the white bishop. There are many ways for this to happen, and you can take a look at one of them below:
Cambridge Spring Trap
This trap happens in the Queen's Gambit Declined opening and involves a "fake pin" on a knight just like the Legal's Trap. White tries to take advantage of the g5-bishop's x-ray attack on the black queen. However, Black has a little surprise for their opponent and wins a knight for a pawn!
Show Off Your Trap Setting Skills
Now that you know some trendy traps, it's time to show off your skills! Try to trap your opponent in each of the puzzles below!
Puzzle 01: The Legal's Trap
Puzzle 02: The Noah's Ark Trap
Puzzle 03: The Cambridge Spring Trap
Wrapping Up
You now know what a chess trap is and how you can use it to win more games (or avoid falling for them!). Head over to our Lessons page to learn other essential chess concepts, so you become an even better player!