Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Mieses Trap

Two things cause fascination in beginners: First, that the queen is the most powerful piece in chess. Second, the advice of not moving the queen too early in the game.

The subsequent reason for discomfort in beginners is the apparent contradiction between those two sentences. They ask themselves: “If the queen is so powerful, why do not play it immediately?”

In chess, almost every rule has exceptions and moving the queen early in the game is justified in some cases. In fact, in some variations of well-established openings the queen plays early in the game (ex.: Scandinavian defence)

When the opponent plays the queen too early, some players feel an urgent necessity of punishing it immediately. Following that impulse can bring disastrous consequences.

Chigorin fell victim as such impulse in the following game.

A nasty trap that you can play in blitz games!

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