Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Breaking into Fort Knox

This is a pretty common trap in the French Defense, Fort Knox Variation (10 times in Mega Database 2013). I've played it several times myself. Amazingly enough, the following game was played in the semifinals of the USSR Championship! White traps Black's queen with 8.Bg5!, a common motif in the French. Black wriggles with 8...Bxf3, seemingly escaping (9.Qxf3? Qxf3; 9.Bxf6?? Bxd1; 9.gxf3?? Qxg5), but White keeps the queen trapped with 9.Qd2!, when 9...Qxd4 would be met by 10.Bb5+ followed by Qxd4.

ADDENDUM: I see that ChessNetwork did a YouTube video on this trap.

FURTHER ADDENDUM: A slightly different version of this trap occurred in Roitburd-Alvarez Vila, Wch U18 Girls Oropesa del Mar 2000 after 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bd3 dxe4 5.Nxe4 b6 6.Nf3 Bb7 7.Nxf6+ Qxf6?? 8.Bg5! (1-0, 25).

2 comments:

Maret Thorpe said...

Got to play Nd7 before Nf6 to prevent either that or ugly kingside pawns, right?

Frederick Rhine said...

Maret Thorpe - right. Normal is 6...Nd7, and on either 7.0-0 or 7.Qe2, 7...Ngf6.