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Légall's Mate by David Surratt This well-known opening trap is credited to the French player M. de Kermar, Sire de Légall (1702-1792). It also is sometimes called the Blackburne Trap, since the English player Joseph Blackburne (1859-1951) used to catch so many players in it! It can arise in a number of different move orders, and it's one of those traps you need to be aware of so you don't fall victim to your own greed! Learn to recognize the pattern you see in the following examples. Here's the famous game Légall won with this trap: Légall v St. Brie, 1750
1. e4 e5
Something to note about this position: White has three pieces developed to one for Black. Remember to develop your pieces! White now uses his lead in development to win a pawn with... 5. Nxe5 ...when Black should accept his mistakes and retreat the bishop to safety. If Black takes the knight with 5...dxe5 then White captures the bishop, 6.Qxg4. Instead, Black gets greedy:
5. ..... Bxd1
Black's up a queen all right, but he's down a king! Notice how the pieces combine to cover every possible escape square, in addition to giving checkmate? Now that's cooperation. Here's another way the trap can be laid...
1. e4 e5
5. Nxe5! You can finish the mate on your own. If the bishop is protected, or if Black can recapture on e4 with a knight, the trap doesn't work - in fact it loses a piece:
1. e4 e5
Now if White makes the mistake of playing 5.Nxe5 Black simply responds Nxe5 and the g4-bishop is protected.
White just lost a piece! One more example of how the Légall pattern might arise, this time from a King's Gambit opening:
1. e4 e5
Can you guess what White plays next? 8. Ne5! Right! Work out for yourself the consequences if Black gets greedy and plays 8...Bxd1. Here's one final example of how the Légall pattern might occur in an actual game: Benjafield vs Wippell 1938
1. e4 e5
Is the Légall pattern starting to look familiar yet? 10. Nxe5 Now if Black plays 10... Nxe5 11. f3 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 Bh3 and White's winning. Instead, Black got greedy...
10. ..... Bxd1
Master this pattern, and you will be able to avoid getting greedy when you should be attending to the development of your pieces. Good Chess! |
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