Tarrasch Trap refers to two different

chess opening The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established Chess_theory#Opening_theory, theory. The other phases are the chess middlegame, middlegame and the chess endgame, endgame. Many opening sequences, known as ''op ...

traps in the

Ruy Lopez The Ruy Lopez (; ), also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez remains one of the most popular chess openings, featuring many variations. In ...

that are named for

Siegbert Tarrasch Siegbert Tarrasch (; 5 March 1862 – 17 February 1934) was a German chess player, considered to have been among the strongest players and most influential theoreticians of the late 19th and early 20th century. Life Tarrasch was born in Bresla ...

. Unlike many variations that appear only in analysis, Tarrasch actually sprung his traps against masters in tournament games.

Tarrasch Trap in the Open Variation

Two masters actually fell for this trap against Tarrasch:

Johannes Zukertort Johannes Hermann Zukertort (; 7 September 1842 – 20 June 1888) was a Polish-born British-German chess master. He was one of the leading world players for most of the 1870s and 1880s, but lost to Wilhelm Steinitz in the World Chess Championship ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

in 1887 and

Isidor Gunsberg Isidor Arthur Gunsberg (also spelled ''Günzberg'', ; 1 November 1854 – 2 May 1930) was a Hungarian chess player, best known for narrowly losing the 1891 World Chess Championship match to Wilhelm Steinitz. Biography Gunsberg began his caree ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in 1890. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 :This is the Open Variation of the Ruy Lopez. 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Re1 0-0 11. Nd4 Qd7 (see diagram) :Falling into the trap. 12. Nxe6 :No matter how Black recaptures, the

pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous chess piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn or The Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pa ...

on d5 will be pinned (along the d-

file File or filing may refer to: Mechanical tools and processes * File (tool), a tool used to remove fine amounts of material from a workpiece. ** Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing ** Nail file, a tool used to gen ...

or along the a2–g8 diagonal). After 12...Qxe6 or 12...fxe6 White wins a piece with 13.Rxe4.

Tarrasch Trap in the Steinitz Variation

The second Tarrasch Trap, sometimes referred to as the Dresden Trap, occurs in the Steinitz Variation. Tarrasch published analysis of this trap in 1891, but 18 months later

Georg Marco Georg Marco (29 November 1863 – 29 August 1923) was an Austrian Chess, chess player. He was born in Chernivtsi (Cernăuţi), Bukovina (then part of Austria-Hungary). He later settled in Vienna and was secretary of the Viennese Chess Associatio ...

fell into it in Tarrasch versus Marco,

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

1892.Tarrasch versus Marco
/ref> Tarrasch spent just five minutes thinking during the entire game. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 :This is the Steinitz Variation of the Ruy Lopez. 4. d4 Bd7 :Black breaks the pin to meet the threat of 5.d5. 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. 0-0 Be7 7. Re1 (see diagram) :Laying a subtle trap.

Castling Castling is a move in chess. It consists of moving the king (chess), king two squares toward a rook (chess), rook on the same and then moving the rook to the square that the king passed over. Castling is permitted only if neither the king ...

seems natural for Black but it loses a pawn. Instead, 7...exd4 is better. 7... 0-0? 8. Bxc6 Bxc6 9. dxe5 dxe5 10. Qxd8 Raxd8 11. Nxe5 :Black's best move here is probably 11...Bd7, although White would remain a pawn ahead. 11... Bxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 :White can go astray too, 13.Rxe4?? would be a horrible blunder as Black would

checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

with 13...Rd1+ 14. Re1 Rxe1#. White blocks that possibility with his next move, making the threat real against the black

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

on e4. 13. Nd3 f5 :The black knight cannot move because of the pin against the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

on e7. 14. f3 Bc5+?! :Better is 14...Bh4 15.g3 Nxg3 16.hxg3 Bxg3 where Black get two pawns for the knight. 15. Nxc5 Nxc5 16. Bg5 Rd5 17. Be7 Re8 18. c4 1–0 :White wins at least the

exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

, so Marco

resigned Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

References

Bibliography *{{cite book , last1=Hooper , first1=David , authorlink1=David Vincent Hooper , last2=Whyld , first2=Kenneth , authorlink2=Kenneth Whyld , title=

The Oxford Companion to Chess ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'' is a reference book on the game of chess written by David Vincent Hooper and Kenneth Whyld. The book is written in an encyclopedia format. The book belongs to the Oxford Companions series. Details The first ed ...

, publisher=Oxford University , year=1992 , edition=2nd , contribution= Tarrasch Trap , page=412 , isbn=0-19-280049-3 Chess traps 1887 in chess 1891 in chess