I am the author of a Chessable course about the Modern Defence. This variation is known as the Orthodox variation of the Blackburne’s variation of the Queen’s gambit declined (quite a long name for mere 5 moves, don’t you think). The Légal Trap/mate is a chess opening trap, characterized by a queen sacrifice followed by checkmate with minor pieces if Black accepts the sacrifice. Chess traps are one of the most satisfying things in chess. Sometimes, you will get the opportunity to deliver it in the real game, but most often more experienced opponent will not allow it because he will play healthy, logical chess, against which winning with the help of the quick tricks won’t be possible. It is noticeable that the diagram position is different from the position that occurred in the original Legal game; the key role is played by the bishop on g5 which pins the Black knight on f6 and hinders it from capturing back the knight on d5. Required fields are marked *. Chess blog about chess tactics, chess games and chess books. If Black takes on b2, White gets a large lead in development. Nc3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Your email address will not be published. When Black’s king is hemmed in by his own pawns, pieces and queen, a check by the bishop might force him to give up his queen in order to prevent the checkmate. 1. e4 e5 2. The best place to take your chess game to the next level. The trap is named after Sire de Légal (1702–1792), a French player. Nd5# When the Legal’s Trap doesn’t work? Also if they don’t take the bait, you are still in a great position. Black has already violated two important opening principles; he moved his pawns instead of pieces on moves 2 and 4, and he developed his bishop prematurely. For instance, the game by Jean Taubenhaus, a Polish master from the end of 19th and beginning of the 20th century, played in simultaneous exhibition in 1887, features this theme: The King’s gambit was definitely the most popular opening in the 19th century. Watch the video below to watch more detailed explanations of the Legal Trap. Legal trap was discovered in the 17th century by the strongest chess player of those times, the French virtuoso Francois Antoine de Legall de Kermeru (also known as Sire de Legal). For this reason, for the remainder of this article, we will stick to the Legal trap expression. Bc4 Nc6 4. That is why this trap works so well. However, one attacking pattern, in particular, has become especially famous throughout the centuries. Finally, we will examine the third variation of Legal trap. Thus, Legal mating picture occurs. Nxe5 Bxd1 7. Probably any Russian schoolboy could tell you the name of this manoeuvre even if you woke him up in the middle of the night. If black responds by building his defense with d6 then white can simply go into the Legal Trap. Therefore, I hope you will remember the name of Sire de Legal, appreciate the greatness of his brilliant queen sacrifice and use the opportunity to employ it if you ever get one. Such a scenario usually happens when the Black knight from f6 gets exchanged for the White knight on c3. Nc3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. White mates the Black king in the middle of the board and proves that in chess, mind often triumphs over matter. The Legal Trap derives from the Italian game where white develops his light square bishop to the c4 square on the third move, adding pressure to the d5 light square. The Légal Trap/mate is a chess opening trap, characterized by a queen sacrifice followed by checkmate with minor pieces if Black accepts the sacrifice. We will examine four main variations of Legal trap on a number of model games. Bxf7+ Ke7 8. In this position, if White tries the move Nf3xe5, Black doesn’t capture the queen, but replies Nc6xe5, defending the bishop on g4 and winning the piece for Black. Visit the website of Croatia Bulldogs team competing in the Pro Chess League! Ever since Legal ventured the queen sacrifice, many players have followed his footsteps and provided us with numerous examples of Legal trap in practical play. The point of Black’s play. This is because it is found in a very common opening and none of the moves made by black look terribly bad on the surface. We will conclude this article with a word of caution. Naturally, the offer is too attractive not to be accepted: But in fact this allows White to deliver a checkmate in two moves: Very picturesque. Legal was playing with the White pieces. Nxe5. Therefore, it is more precise to refer to the queen sacrifice as to the Legal sacrifice. However, that game was a predecessor for many subsequent games in which knight delivered the checkmate after slightly more complicated opening phase. Visit www.chessentials.com/newsletter for more info! Although the basic idea always remains the same, the features of every position are slightly different and the resulting consequences are not always identical. Bc4 d6 4. In one of those games, against an unknown opponent, Legal discovered a fantastic idea which would later become an integral part of the chess heritage. (Note: In this game, it is Black who takes the advantage of the queen sacrifice). Your email address will not be published. When I am not writing about chess, I make bad positional moves and display horrendous endgame technique. For instance, every strong player is familiar with the typical sacrifice of the bishop on h7, typical exchange sacrifice on h5 and other similar attacking manoeuvres. Nf3 Nc6 3. Click the image below for more details!
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