Queen’s Gambit: Elephant Trap
Answer queen bait with check
The attacking idea
The knight can capture d5. A bishop check then wins back the queen and leaves extra material.
The temptation
The knight seems pinned to the queen, so taking d5 appears to win a pawn.
If they defend
Develop with e3 instead of grabbing d5. Keep the centre supported.
Look for the tactic as you develop. The opponent can choose a different route.
They take the bait
1. d4 1… d5 2. c4 2… e6 3. Nc3 3… Nf6 4. Bg5 4… Nbd7 5. cxd5 5… exd5 6. Nxd5 6… Nxd5 7. Bxd8 7… Bb4+ 8. Qd2 8… Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 9… Kxd8
They defend
1. d4 1… d5 2. c4 2… e6 3. Nc3 3… Nf6 4. Bg5 4… Nbd7 5. cxd5 5… exd5 6. e3 6… c6 7. Bd3 7… Be7 8. Nf3 8… O-O