Traps Academy & Quick Wins

The definitive compendium of the most lethal opening traps: Fried Liver, Noah's Ark, Fishing Pole, Blackburne, Siberian, and Smothered Mates!

Recognizing and springing tactical traps in the opening is the fastest way to gain hundreds of rating points. This course gathers the 20 most lethal traps in chess history: master punishing your opponent's greedy slips and never fall for famous opening tricks again.

Deadly Traps in Open Games & 1.e4

The sharpest traps arising after 1.e4: Fried Liver Attack, Noah's Ark, Fishing Pole, Blackburne Shilling, French Winawer, and Siberian Morra.

  1. 1. Fried Liver Attack (6.Nxf7! Shock Sacrifice) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5…
  2. 2. Noah's Ark Trap (Trapping the Ruy Lopez Bishop) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.d4 b5…
  3. 3. The Fishing Pole Trap (Deadly h-file Kingside Attack) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Ng4 5.h3 h5…
  4. 4. Blackburne Shilling Gambit (Smothered Mate in 7 Moves) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nd4 4.Nxe5 Qg5 5.Nxf7 Qxg2…
  5. 5. Caro-Kann Smothered Mate (The Deadly 6.Nd6#) 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6…
  6. 6. Mortimer Trap (The Berlin Defense False Retreat) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Ne7 5.Nxe5 c6…
  7. 7. Halosar Trap (Blackmar-Diemer Queen Ambush) 1.d4 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Qxf3 Qxd4…
  8. 8. Owen Defense Fool's Mate (8.Bg6# Disaster) 1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 f5 4.exf5 Bxg2 5.Qh5+ g6…
  9. 9. French Winawer Queen Trap (Trapping the Infiltrator) 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+…
  10. 10. Siberian Trap (Smith-Morra Gambit 9...Nd4!) 1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.c3 dxc3 4.Nxc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 e6…

Deadly Traps in 1.d4, Flank Openings & Gambits

Lethal tricks and sudden miniatures in Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Countergambit, Englund Gambit, Budapest, From's Gambit, and Sicilian pins.

  1. 11. The Elephant Trap (Queen's Gambit 6...Nxd5!) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5…
  2. 12. Rubinstein Trap (Queen's Gambit Bishop Pin Disaster) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 O-O…
  3. 13. Budapest Smothered Mate (The Immortal 8...Nd3#) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+…
  4. 14. Lasker Trap (Albin Countergambit Underpromotion 7...fxg1=N+!) 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.e3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 dxe3…
  5. 15. Englund Gambit Queen Mate (8...Qc1# Disaster) 1.d4 e5 2.dxe5 Nc6 3.Nf3 Qe7 4.Bf4 Qb4+ 5.Bd2 Qxb2…
  6. 16. Magnus Smith Trap (Sicilian Pin Destruction) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6…
  7. 17. Trompowsky Bishop Snare (Punishing 2...c5) 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 c5 3.d5 Qb6 4.Nc3 Qxb2 5.Bd2 Qa3…
  8. 18. From's Gambit Fool's Mate (Bird's Opening 5...Bg3#) 1.f4 e5 2.fxe5 d6 3.exd6 Bxd6 4.Nf3 g5 5.h3 Bg3#…
  9. 19. Monticelli Trap (Bogo-Indian Bishop Pair Trap) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 c5 5.Bxb4 cxb4…
  10. 20. Sicilian Pin Trap (Crushing the Pin on d4) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5…