4

I'm not sure whether this qualifies as a trap, but I sometimes do this tactic. My opponent pins my knight on f3 against my queen, but by sacrificing my bishop to f7, I can move the knight with check then use the queen to take the bishop.

For instance:

[FEN ""]  
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. f4 exf4 { C33 King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Maurian Defense } 4. Nf3 Bc5 5. d4 Bb6 6. O-O d6 7. Bxf4 Bg4 8. Bxf7+ Kxf7 9.Ng5+ Ke8 10.Qxg4

Is there a name for this?

(Side note: Stockfish rates this move as a blunder, decreasing evaluation from 1.7 to 0.3, even though I gain a pawn, prevent black castling, and leave their position more exposed. I'm curious why.).

5
  • 1
    Stockfish rates this move as a blunder 10. Qxg4 Bxd4+ 11. Kh1 Bxb2 and Black wins the a1-rook. Looking at the lines with Stockfish it's more complicated than that (because Black's king is quite exposed), but the theme is the same, White does not keep the material.
    – Allure
    May 12, 2022 at 1:53
  • Yeah, thanks for that explanation. May 12, 2022 at 2:00
  • @SteveBennett: Additionally, in 50% of all cases of this motif Black has the resource Qxg5 instead of K... (just hang the queen, White's hangs too), making it unplayable too. May 12, 2022 at 7:26
  • Related: chess.stackexchange.com/questions/27293/…
    – D M
    May 12, 2022 at 21:52
  • Oh wow, that really is a very similar question (with the slight difference that they can win a piece, not just a pawn) May 17, 2022 at 2:50

1 Answer 1

2

Bxf7+ is an attraction of the king to the f7 square, after which Ng5+ is a discovered attack of the undefended bishop on g4. Technically, one could call Ng5+ a double attack/fork as well since you're simultaneously attacking the king and the bishop.

The official name would be an attraction followed by a discovered attack.

As always, loose pieces drop off! Gotta calculate all checks, captures, and threats!

2
  • 1
    Cool, but there's no particular name for this specific combo of these pieces on these squares? May 13, 2022 at 4:48
  • None that I know of, no. This isn't like a greek gift in how common it is. That being said, Bxf7+ is a common idea in many e4 e5 games, so maybe someone should create a name! May 14, 2022 at 2:24

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.