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Ruy Lopez, Noah's Ark Trap

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(Redirected from Noah's Ark Trap) Chess opening trap

The Noah's Ark Trap is a family of traps in the Ruy Lopez chess opening in which a white bishop is trapped on the b3-square by black pawns.

The origin of the name is uncertain. The shape of the black pawns on a6, b5, and c4 may resemble an ark, or the name may suggest that the trap is "as old as Noah's Ark".

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

The trap

Steiner vs. Capablanca, 1929
abcdefgh
8a8 black rookd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rookd7 black bishopf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawna6 black pawnd6 black pawnb5 black pawnd5 white queenc4 black pawne4 white pawnb3 white bishopa2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookb1 white knightc1 white bishope1 white kingh1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 11...c4. The white king bishop is trapped.

Chess masters have occasionally fallen victim to this trap. An example is a game between Endre Steiner and José Capablanca at the Budapest tournament in 1929:

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. d4

Better moves for White are 5.c3, 5.Bxc6+, and 5.0-0.

5... b5 6. Bb3 Nxd4 7. Nxd4 exd4 8. Qxd4??

Alexander Alekhine recommended this move in the tournament book for New York 1924 as a means for White to draw, but it is a mistake that loses material. White should instead play 8.Bd5 or try a gambit with 8.c3.

8... c5 9. Qd5 Be6 10. Qc6+ Bd7 11. Qd5 c4 (see diagram)

The white king bishop is trapped. White resigned after 32 moves.

In the Sicilian

A variation of this trap can occur in the Sicilian Defence after the moves 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 (the Rossolimo Variation) 3... a6 4. Ba4?? (4.Bxc6 is necessary and is the point of 3.Bb5) 4... b5 5. Bb3 c4 (see diagram). The bishop is similarly trapped.

abcdefgh
8a8 black rookc8 black bishopd8 black queene8 black kingf8 black bishopg8 black knighth8 black rookd7 black pawne7 black pawnf7 black pawng7 black pawnh7 black pawna6 black pawnc6 black knightb5 black pawnc4 black pawne4 white pawnb3 white bishopf3 white knighta2 white pawnb2 white pawnc2 white pawnd2 white pawnf2 white pawng2 white pawnh2 white pawna1 white rookb1 white knightc1 white bishopd1 white queene1 white kingh1 white rook8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
Position after 4.Ba4?? b5 5.Bb3 c4 in the Rossolimo Variation of the Sicilian Defence

References

  1. Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1996) . "Noah's Ark Trap". The Oxford Companion to Chess (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 274. ISBN 0-19-280049-3.
  2. Brace, Edward R. (1977), An Illustrated Dictionary of Chess, Hamlyn Publishing Group, p. 201, ISBN 1-55521-394-4
  3. "Steiner vs. Capablanca, Budapest 1929". Chessgames.com.
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