Traps, Tricks & Mistakes: Mortimer Trap

The Mortimer trap appears in one of the most popular chess openings, the Ruy Lopez when Black goes into the Berlin Defence with 3…Nf6

Usually White plays 4.O-O. But in top tournaments, you will also see sometimes the less common 4.d3 transposing with 4…Bc5 into a similar structure as in the Italian game.

But Black can uncork a surprise with 4…Ne7. This is the start of today’s trap.

This trap is named after the amateur chess player James Mortimer who played it in the year 1883.

This is a trap to take into consideration, given the recent popularity of the Berlin Defence.