Tips on chess

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dimpy.handa

Dimpy Handa
The Fried Liver Attack
This is a classic and runs as follows. 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 Nc6, 3. Bc4 Nf6, 4. Ng5 d5, 5. ed NxP?!, 6. Nxf7!? KxN, 7. Qf3+ Ke6, 8. Nc3. The position is unclear after 8. ... Nb4. However, white can improve with the line 6. d4 ed, 7. 0-0 when he threatens 8. Nxf7 and is probably winning.
 
From's Gambit
Bird's opening is rarely played but the clever gambit with e5 is worth knowing as it is a very playable and tricky response. After 1. f4 black plays 1. ... e5?! with the idea of 2. fe d6, 3. ed Bxd6, threatening Qh4+ winning. After 4. Nf3 (other moves lose) Black replies with 4. ... Bg4, with the threat of BxN and then Qh4+ winning. Although white can escape with 5. e3, (or 5. e4, [other moves are inferior and most lose]), black's position is fun to play and probably only slightly worse. White has to play accurately on moves 4 and 5 and in blitz games this gambit is definitely worth a go.
 
A pretty trap
There is a very pretty but rare trap which runs as follows. 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 d6, 3. Bc4 Bg4, 4. Nc3 g6?, 5. Nxe5! BxQ, 6. Bxf7 Ke7, 7. Nd5#
 
Owen's Defence
This is a system which is rarely played which runs 1. e4 b6, 2. d4 Bb7. After 3. Bd3 the 'original' move was 3. ... f5, with the idea that if white plays 4. ef then black wins the rook on h1 with 4. ... Bxg2. However, this is tactically flawed: 5. Qh5 g6, 6. fg Nf6, 7. gh+! NxQ, 8. Bg6#. In fact black can improve with 6. ... Bg7 but white still gets a winning position after 7. gh+ Kf8 8. Nf3! Nf6, 9. Qg6! BxN, (9. ... BxR, 10. Bh6! RxP, 11. Ng5 winning) 10. Rg1! RxP, 11. Qg3! Be4! 12. BxB NxB, 13. Qf3+ Kg8 14. QxN +- and white can continue his attack with Bf4-e5 etc.
 
The Budapest
There is an odd variation of the Budapest which runs 1. d4 Nf6, 2. c4 e5, 3. de Ne4?!, 4. Nf3 d6?!, 5. ed Bxd6, 6. g3?? (Oh dear!) 6. ... Nxf2! 7. Kxf2 (7. Qa4 Bd7, doesn't help white) 7. ... Bxg3+ and black wins the white queen on d1.
The sequence 1. d4 Nf6, 2. Nd2 e5, is a lot like the true Budapest and the continuation 3. dxe5 Ng4, 4. h3 Ne3, winning, illustrates a theme which comes up in other positions. If 5. fe then of course 5. ... Qh4 6. g3 Qxg3# and if white doesn't take the knight then he loses his queen
 
The Modern Defence
A similar queen trap is seen after the moves 1. e4 g6, 2. d4 Bg7, 3. Nf3 d6, 4. Bc4 Nd7??, when white wins with 5. Bxf7! If black takes it with 5. ... KxB?? (which looks superficially correct) then after 6. Ng5 he faces an unpleasant choice. If Kf6 then Qf3#, if Qf8 then Ne6+ wins black's queen, and if Ke8 then Ne6 still wins black's queen!
 
The Chameleon Variation of the Sicilian Defence
Another trick which makes use of this trapping pattern, but to even greater effect, occurs in an unusual line of the Chameleon variation of the Sicilian. 1. e4 c5, 2. Nc3 Nc6, 3. Ne2 (This is quite a sneaky move; white waits for black to commit himself to a particular set–up before deciding whether to play an open or a closed Sicilian.) 3. … Nf6, 4. d4 (This is probably the wrong decision. White should play a closed Sicilian here with 4. g3.) 4. … e6, (4. ... cd 5. Nxd4 would of course transpose to a main line classical Sicilian) 5. d5 ed, 6. ed Ne5, 7. g3?? (7. Nf4 is better, and quite interesting) 7. ... Nf3#. Quite a shock!
 
The Caro Kann Defence
After the standard 1. e4 c6, 2. d4 d5, 3. Nc3 de, 4. NxP Nd7, White can find out whether Black is paying attention by playing 5. Qe2. If Black plays the normal looking 5. ... Ngf6??, then White wins instantly with 6. Nd6#. This has caught out a lot of people in early morning games!
 
The Traxler Counter Attack
This is one of the most outrageous openings. It runs as follows; 1. e4 e5, 2. Nf3 Nc6, 3. Bc4 Nf6, (the two knights defence which you should recognise from an earlier trick), 4. Ng5 Bc5!?. Black completely ignores the threats against f7! The idea is that after 5. Nxf7 Bxf2!?, 6. KxB Nxe4+ whites king will be in more danger than black's. There have been quite a few monographs written on this system and some of the complications are barely comprehensible. Basically black can bring his queen to h4 and will threaten all sorts of terrible things against white's king
 
The Albin Counter Gambit
Another well known trap runs as follows. 1. d4 d5, 2. c4 e5, 3. de d4, 4. e3? (4. a3 is better) 4. ... Bb4+, 5. Bd2 dxe3, 6. Bxb4? (6. Qa4+ is possible although the complications that arise after 6. ... Nc6, 7. Bxb4 [7. fe Qh4+, 8. Kd1 {Not 8. g3? Qe4!} 8. ... Qf2! is better for black] 8. ... ef+, 9. KxP Qd4+ probably favour black, especially over the board.) 6. ... ef+ 7. Ke2 fxg1=N+!!, 8. RxN Bg4+ and Black wins white's queen on d1.
 
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