Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Matovinsky Trap

Have you ever heard about the Matinovsky Gambit, aka Matovinsky Gambit?

It is a very eccentric opening dating from the 17th century. It starts with the moves 1.e4 b6, known as Owen’s Defense.

Today’s example is a game played by the Italian chess player Gioachino Greco. Black sets a trap offering a pawn in the third move. But the trap backfired and it is White who in fact succeeds with a counter-trap which offers a rook as a bait.

All the games played and recorded by Gioachino Greco have an anonymous opponent. That is the reason why chess historians believe that all (or some) of them are in fact his constructs.
Nairobi Chess Club organizes a match against Chess School over on chess.com. If you’d like to play for us, make sure you’ve joined our club over there and go here for details. The match will start on September 28th. Join the match and enjoy the games!