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Queen's Gambit Declined, Elephant Trap

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Chess opening trap "Elephant Trap" redirects here. For stockade traps used historically to capture elephants in India, see Khedda.

In chess, the Elephant Trap is a faulty attempt by White to win a pawn in a popular variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined.

The earliest recorded occurrence of the trap seems to be the game Karl Mayet–Daniel Harrwitz, Berlin 1848.

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

The trap

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7

This opening sequence usually indicates that Black intends to play the Cambridge Springs Defense with 5.Nf3 c6 6.e3 Qa5, but it can also lead to the Orthodox Defense if Black plays ...Be7. (The Cambridge Springs had not yet been invented at the time of the Mayet–Harrwitz game.) Black has set a trap; if White tries to win a pawn by ...
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8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishoph8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black knightf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawnf6 black knightd5 white knightg5 white bishopd4 white pawna2 white pawnb2 white pawne2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
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Position after 6.Nxd5??
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 white bishope8 black kingh8 black rooka7 black pawnb7 black pawnc7 black pawnd7 black knightf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawnd5 black knightb4 black bishopd4 white pawna2 white pawnb2 white pawne2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookd1 white queene1 white kingf1 white bishopg1 white knighth1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 7...Bb4+

5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nxd5?? (first diagram)

White thinks that, because the black knight on f6 is pinned to the queen, it cannot be moved.

6... Nxd5! 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ (second diagram)

Black regains the queen as White has only one legal move to get out of check.

8. Qd2 Bxd2+

Harrwitz played the equally good 8...Kxd8, intending 9...Bxd2+.

9. Kxd2 Kxd8

Black comes out a minor piece ahead.

See also

References

  1. K. Mayet vs. D. Harrwitz, Berlin 1848 Chessgames.com

Bibliography

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