Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Girl’s Trap

My friend Mischa has a golden rule to find best moves. He applies what he calls the ‘CMP principle’. For him the best move is the one that satisfies one of the following conditions: Checkmates the opponent’s king; wins Material; or obtains Positional advantage.

However, in a game we find positions where Mischa’s CMP principle doesn’t apply. Imagine for example the first stages of openings. Traps are also examples. A move preparing a trap doesn’t intend to win anything. Rather, it’s about the opposite. When a player tries to set up a trap, usually plays either apparent innocuous moves or offers material whose mission is to be the bait.

In this section we have seen some of them. And today’s game is another example. The game is a miniature because only has 14 moves. But the most intriguing part of it is White’s 6th move. When seeing it for the first time the most common reaction is to think that your opponent is a beginner. Otherwise why a player would play a side pawn in the early stage of that opening and not embrace general principles of openings and castle? The answer is a devilish and hidden trap impossible to discover over the board. The loot at the end of the subsequent forced line is nothing less than winning the opponent’s queen! Follow the moves and enjoy the trap!

Today’s game corresponds to a junior competition of girls in the age group U14. If trapping the opponent’s queen is always an exciting experience, you can imagine Aleksandra Mijovic’s joy after this game.

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