Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Hopton Trap

Today I will show you a tricky way to face the Dutch Defense, which starts with the move order 1.d4 f5.
Against the Dutch, a surprising move is the Hopton Attack, which continues with the move 2.Bg5.
Black’s first idea is to harass the bishop with 2…h6 and that is exactly what White is intending for.
This trap has similarities with the Noah Ark’s trap.
See details in the diagram below.

Remember: the Holton trap is effective when Black accepts the bishop as a bait and advances the kingside pawns. If Black ignores the bishop and goes for easy development, then forget following with the trap and play according to opening rules.

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