Legal Trap: How to checkmate in 8 moves

Do you know that chess grandmasters have always missed the legal trap when there’s a chance? You could do it better than them with this article.

How to Set up the Legal Trap

Legal Trap, also known as Blackburne Trap or Legal Mate, is a famous chess opening trap for White. Without preparation, Black could face checkmate in just 8 moves.

The trap is a variation arising from the Italian Opening, specifically when Black opts for 3…d6, creating the Semi-Italian Opening. While the main line against Semi-Italian is 4.c3, the trap can be set up only with 4.Nc3. Explore this study to understand how to execute the trap.

There are nearly 1 million games in lichess that have this position, and, guess what? 49% of the time Black falls into this trap, when they play 5…Bh5. And how many times has a checkmate been delivered? Nearly 30.000 times.

What if Black plays 5…Bxf3?

Well, you will be better after 6.Qxf3, threaten Qxf7 mate. Besides, White has a bishop pair as an advantage. White’s next moves are straightforward, like d3, 0-0, and then f4, putting a lot of pressure on f7 and the F file. Just remember, if Black plays Nd5 to attack the Queen at some point, retreat the Queen to the original square d1, or d3, to avoid losing the c2 pawn.

Basic Concepts of Semi-Italian Opening

The Semi-Italian Opening, also known as Half Giuoco Piano, Lesser Giuoco Piano, or Paris Defence, is a strategic response employed by Black against the Italian Game. The opening sequence begins with the standard moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 d6.

In this variation, Black’s objective is to transition into a Hungarian Defense by advancing with …Bg4 in the early stages of the game, aiming to contest control over the crucial d4-square. This strategic approach allows Black to create a solid position and potentially disrupt White’s plans.

The “Legal Trap” line, featuring 4.Nc3, has been employed by top grandmasters, including Ian Nepomniachtchi facing Raunak Sadhwani in the Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship 2022, resulting in a victory for Nepomniachtchi with the White pieces. Review the game here.

Legal Trap Overlooked by GMs

Would you believe it if I told you that the Legal Trap has never been played at the Grandmaster level? It sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? But what if I were to reveal that even a strong Grandmaster, like GM David Paravyan, completely overlooked this trap, as if he had never known about it? Unbelievable, right? Yet, it’s the truth.

You might remember that Paravyan clinched the Gibraltar Masters open tournament in January 2020, finishing tied for first place with a score of 7½/10 (+5–0=5) and securing the title through a victorious performance in a four-way playoff. However, in a blitz game against GM Maxim Vavulin in Moscow in 2017, both Paravyan and his opponent missed the trap. While Vavulin played 5…Bh5, Paravyan responded with 6.d3?

That’s not all. Until now, there have been three instances where chess masters played 5…Bh5. However, in none of these games did White respond with the correct move 6.Nxe5. Strange, isn’t it?