The Magnus Smith Trap is a

chess opening The opening is the initial stage of a chess game. It usually consists of established Chess_theory#Opening_theory, theory. The other phases are the chess middlegame, middlegame and the chess endgame, endgame. Many opening sequences, known as ''op ...

trap in the

Sicilian Defence The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves: :1. e4 c5 The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4. The opening 1.d4 is a statistically more successful opening for Whi ...

, named after three-time Canadian chess champion Magnus Smith (1869–1934). In an article titled "The 'Magnus Smith Trap published in his ''Chess Notes'' column (hosted at the Chess History Center), chess historian Edward Winter wrote:

The trap

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 :This is the Sozin Variation (or Fischer–Sozin Attack) of the

Sicilian Defense The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the following moves: :1. e4 c5 The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4. The opening 1.d4 is a statistically more successful opening for Whi ...

. A common response is 6...e6, to make White's

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

on c4 "bite on granite". 6... g6 :Black falls into the trap. 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5 (diagram) :Black is in a bad way. After 8...Nh5,

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...

gives 9.Qf3! e6 (9...d5 10.Nxd5!) 10.g4 Ng7 11.Ne4 Qa5+ (11...d5 12.Nf6+ Ke7 13.Qa3+) 12.Bd2 Qxe5 13.Bc3 and Black's

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

is trapped. Preferable alternatives are 8...Ng4 9.e6 f5, and Black eventually managed to

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn most commonly refer to: * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Draw (tie), in a competition, where competitors achieve equal outcomes * Draw ...

in Schlechter– Lasker, World Championship (1910), rd. 7, and 8...d5 9.exf6 dxc4 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Bg5 Be6 12.0-0-0+ Ke8, and Black ultimately even won in

Rosen Rosen is a surname of German and Ashkenazi Jewish origin, the name deriving from the German word for roses. Notable people with this surname include: Places *Rosen, Burgas Province, Bulgaria * Rosen, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria * Rosen, Minnesota, ...

–

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ionizing radiation (such as sunburn, caused by ultraviolet radiation). Most burns are due to heat from hot fluids (called scalding), soli ...

, Paris 1900. :The move Black actually chooses leads to instant disaster. 8... dxe5 :"Correct is 8...Ng4." — Fischer. White was clearly better in Suetin– Makarichev, Moscow 1983, after ...Ng49.Bf4 Bh6 ( Sosonko; if 9...Qb6 then 10.Qf3) 10.Bxh6 Nxh6 11.Qd2 Nf5 12.exd6 Nxd6 (if 12...Qxd6 then 13.0-0-0+/−; if 12...exd6 then 13.0-0-0 0-0 14.g4! Ne7 15.Qxd6 Qxd6 16.Rxd6 Bxg4 17.Re1!+/− Makarichev) 13.0-0-0 Qc7 (if 13...Bb7 then 14.Qf4 intending Ne4; Makarichev) 14.Qf4 0-0 15.Ne4 ( Nunn). 9. Bxf7+ :White wins Black's queen after 9...Kxf7 10.Qxd8.

References

Bibliography *{{cite book , editor-last=Matanović , editor-first=Aleksandar , editor-link=Aleksandar Matanović , title=

Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings The ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'' (''ECO'') is a reference work describing the state of Chess theory#Opening theory, opening theory in chess, originally published in five volumes from 1974 to 1979 by the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugos ...

, publisher=

Chess Informant Chess Informant () is a publishing company from Belgrade, Serbia, that periodically (since 2012, four volumes per year) produces volumes of a book entitled ''Chess Informant'', as well as the ''Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings'', ''Encyclopaedia ...

, location=Yugoslavia , volume=B , edition=2nd , year=1984 Chess traps