5 Best Chess Opening Traps in the Italian Game

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In this video lesson, GM Igor Smirnov will share with you the 5 best chess opening traps in the Italian Game for both White and Black. The Italian Game is a family of chess openings beginning with the moves: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4.

These traps are easy to learn and you can incorporate them in your own games easily. Also, the traps are from the most common and popular lines (and variations) from this opening.

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► Chapters

00:00 5 Best Opening Traps in the Italian Game
00:26 Trap-1: White's pawns vs Black's pieces
04:21 Trap-2: Mind-blowing kingside attack
07:00 Trap-2: if White plays immediate Ng5
09:39 Recap of the crushing attack
10:18 Trap-3: Old, smothered checkmate
11:56 Trap-4: Italian Game: Classical Variation
13:59 Can you find the winning move?
14:32 Trap-5: Winning trap for White

#GMSmirnov #ItalianGame #ChessTraps #OpeningTraps

[namedperson]

On the challenge
QF7, rook recaptures, rook E2 check mate because F2 rook is now pinned and king is back rank mated

[nicoscarfo]

Your channel and chessvibes have taught me the most of any other chess channel, great work

[xiaoliyang]

Re8, Black rook captured, Qxf7, black queen go to h8, Qxe8 checkmate

[deathable]

Answer: Do the queen sacrifice Qxf7+
Black can respond in one of 2 ways

If he goes kh8, then Qxf8 is a checkmate

So he is forced to capture the queen with his rook. After that, you play Re8+. The black king's rook is now pinned and can't block, which makes it a checkmate.

[respect]

Qxf7 pinning rook and back rank checkmate with Re8

[alexanderroc]

Absolutely love this game...pure brilliance !

[mac]

For 14:21, Queen takes F7, Rook takes F7, RE4 TO E8 # cuz Pawn is pinned by Bishop on C4. Im not fluent in notation 😅 Will read it after

[objdmbu]

Best traps, best chess YouTuber, because there are always variants which I haven't seen yet

[TheCheapBikeChannel]

Hello - thank you for these videos on the Italian game. I've been trying to play the English opening in Blitz 10 minute games, but never seem to be able to use the traps effectively, so am studying other openings. Greetings from Brussels, Belgium.

[GMIgorSmirnov]

► Chapters

00:00 5 Best Opening Traps in the Italian Game
00:26 Trap-1: White's pawns vs Black's pieces
04:21 Trap-2: Mind-blowing kingside attack
07:00 Trap-2: if White plays immediate Ng5
09:39 Recap of the crushing attack
10:18 Trap-3: Old, smothered checkmate
11:56 Trap-4: Italian Game: Classical Variation
13:59 Can you find the winning move?
14:32 Trap-5: Winning trap for White

[Goggarin]

11:51 There is another trap which also results in the same smothered mate, but takes a few moves more to acheive.
1. e4 e5
2. Bc4 Nc6
3. Nf3 Nf6
4. Nfg5 d5
5. exd5 Ncd4
6. d6 (theratening the fork) Qxd6
7. Ngxf7 Qc6
8. Nfxh8 Qxg2
9. Rf1 Qe4+
10. Be2 Nxf3++

[dietmarmayer]

Igor, what do you think of
1) The Italian Gambit (4.d4!?) or
2) The line 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.O-O Nxe4 7.cxd4 ... - you did not mention these 2 lines in your video.
Thanks for your thoughts (or maybe even for another video on these 2 lines?)
Regards, D.

[sharonjuniorchess]

1. Qxf7+ Rxf7 2. Re8# but it takes practice to think this way as you are giving away your Queen.

[robertoperez-puog]

Beautiful the line of Chigorin's paly! Thanks for share your knowledge, Igor.

[jasonchavarria]

Queen captures on F7 sac the Queen when rook take then white rook goes on E8 checkmate. Now if king moves then Queen captures rook on F8 is also checkmate do to the back rank weakness from black. That's why black should not capture the dark square bishop on G5. Lead's obviously to a force mate regardless of what black does.

[lyudmildimitrov]

Rook E8 is such an amazing forced mat in 2! It's an unreal sequence, thanks!

[Simon-fmeg]

Awesome video! Exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Smirnov

[Soldier-yuml]

14:21 my answer:
Forced checkmate by the following:
... Qx f7
Rxf7 Re8 #

variation 2:
... Qxf7 Kh8
Qxf8 #

[konfaibin]

Thanks Sir. Italian game is my favourite opening.

[berndrickert]

You are always very optimistic. In 11:10 if white doesn´t take with the knight, but with the bishop, then white has increased positional advantage, I guess.
The sequence starting from 7:00 is awesome. Thanks for that. I wonder how much time he needed to think the whole move through.