In this episode of Chess Opening Traps we are going to take a look at a well known opening pitfall from the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. It features a game fragment that is quite common amongst unexperienced chess players. Black takes a gambit pawn and then clings on to it just a bit too much.
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Click on the moves below to start playing and show a diagram:
[pgn_compat]
[Event “?”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2014.10.04”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Queen’s Gambit Accepted”]
[Black “Clinging To Your Structure”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “D20”]
[Annotator “Waldemar Moes ,Better Your Chess”]
[PlyCount “11”]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 {The so-called Queen’s
Gambit Accepted. It is not a real pawn sacrifice since White can win back the
pawn immediately if he so wishes with 3.Qa4+.} 3. e3 {White plays a developing
move and he hopes to regain the pawn with his bishop.} ({As mentioned –
possible is:} 3. Qa4+ c6 4. Qxc4 {But bringing out the queen early in the
opening is not to everyone’s taste and also not necessarily good.}) ({The best
move however is:} 3. Nf3 {Preventing a move that Black could have played in
the game.}) 3… b5 $2 {This move is a mistake and quite a common one for
unexperienced players. Black hangs on to the pawn and tries to prove that
White’s pawn sacrifice is a real sacrifice and that he will not give the pawn
back.} (3… e5 $1 {Is the best move here, opening up the other bishop
diagonal as well, challenging the center and making use of the fact that after
the faulty:} 4. dxe5 $2 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 Nc6 6. f4 Be6 $15 {Black would be just
better due to his lead in development and White’s king in the center.}) 4. a4
$1 {Black’s last move has provided White with a new target and he now chips
away at it. If he can lure away pawn b5 (the defender of pawn c4), then he can
take on c4 with his bishop.} c6 $2 {This mistake is the common follow-up to
the move b7-b5. Normally Black arrives at this move by process of elimination:}
(4… bxa4 $6 {doesn’t work because of:} 5. Bxc4 $14 {after which the net
result of the whole transaction is that Black’s pawns are split and weak and
pawn a4 is on the nomination of being captured as well. White would enjoy a
definite opening advantage.}) (4… a6 $2 {To bolster up pawn b5 fails to
appreciate the fact that the a-pawn is pinned to the rook on a8 by the rook on
a1:} 5. axb5 axb5 $4 6. Rxa8 $18) ({Relatively best is:} 4… b4 5. Bxc4 $14 {
When White would enjoy a regular opening advantage. He has chances to make use
of the weaknesses in Black’s queenside by all the pawn moves that were made on
that side of the board.}) 5. axb5 cxb5 $2 {Black executes his faulty plan of
clinging on the pawn and his structure.} ({It was time to hit the brakes with:
} 5… Bb7 {After:} 6. Bxc4 $16 {Black’s setup would have failed, but he would
not lose immediately.}) {Can you see how White can now win the game?} 6. Qf3 $1
$18 {Ouch! The danger comes from another direction now. Black’s recapture on
b5 with the c-pawn has completely opened up the long diagonal. The queen is
hitting the rook in the corner and there is no way saving it anymore. White
wins.} *
[/pgn_compat]
PGN notation:
[Event “?”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “2014.10.04”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Queen’s Gambit Accepted”]
[Black “Clinging To Your Structure”]
[Result “*”]
[ECO “D20”]
[Annotator “Waldemar Moes ,Better Your Chess”]
[PlyCount “11”]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 (3. Qa4+ c6 4. Qxc4) (3. Nf3) 3… b5 $2 (3… e5 $1
4. dxe5 $2 Qxd1+ 5. Kxd1 Nc6 6. f4 Be6 $15) 4. a4 $1 c6 $2 (4… bxa4 $6 5.
Bxc4 $14) (4… a6 $2 5. axb5 axb5 $4 6. Rxa8 $18) (4… b4 5. Bxc4 $14) 5.
axb5 cxb5 $2 (5… Bb7 6. Bxc4 $16) 6. Qf3 $1 $18 *