Schipkov's Trap

Schipkov's trap is a black trap in the Smith-Morra Gambit. The line runs 1 e5 c5 2 d4 cd 3 c3 dc 4 Nxc3 Nc6 5 Bc4 e6 6 Nf3 Qc7 7 0-0 Nf6 8 Qe2 Ng4 9 h3?? Nd4! and white is lost.

Instead of the losing 9 h3??, the books recommend 9 Nb5!, the idea being that after 9...Qb8, white can now play 10 h3 as the N/b5 is guarding the d4 square.

I have found eight games in my personal records from before I learned about 9 Nb5. In one I tried 9 Bg5, and managed to win a long game.

In another I played 9 Rd1, which left me with a horrid position after 9...Bc5 10 Be3 BxB 11 fe, though I managed to win in 23 moves.

In the other six games I played 8 g3. Two of these ended in only 12 moves: 8 g3 Be7 9 Bf4 d6 10 Nb5! Qb8 11 Nxd6+ Bxd6 12 Bxd6 1-0 (his queen is trapped!); and 8 g3 Bd6 9 Qe2 0-0 10 Rd1 Ng4 11 Nb5 Qb8 12 Nxd6 1-0 (white has won a piece).

The trick here is to delay playing Qe2. White can also play h3 before castling. White must keep this trap in mind to avoid disaster. Several high-level tournament games have ended early when white was caught unawares.