Noah's Ark Trap
| a | b | c | d | e | f | G | H | ||
| 8th |  |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
8th |
| 7th | |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
7th |
| 6th | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6th |
| 5 | |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
5 |
| 4th | |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
4th |
| 3 | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
| 2 | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
| 1 |  |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
1 |
| a | b | c | d | e | f | G | H |
The Noah's Ark Trap is an opening trap in chess .
It arises in the modern Steinitz defense of the Spanish game after the moves
- 1. e2 – e4 e7 – e5 2. Ng1 – f3 Nb8 – c6 3. Bf1 – b5 a7 – a6 4. Bb5 – a4 d7 – d6 5. d2 – d4 b7 – b5 6. Ba4 – b3 Nc6xd4 7. Nf3xd4 e5xd4 ,
if now knows the obvious mistake 8. Qd1xd4? (Either 8. Bb3 – d5 or the pawn sacrifice 8. c2 – c3 would be better ).
This is followed by 8.… c7 – c5 with an attack on the white queen, then c5 – c4 plus a win for the white bishop, who has no possibility of retreat.
Remarkably, the future world champion Alexander Alekhine wrote in his book about the tournament in New York in 1924 that the variant after the sequence
- 9. Qd4 – d5 (attack on black rook a8 and the f7 pawn) 9.… Bc8 – e6 10. Qd5 – c6 + Be6 – d7 11. Qc6 – d5 Bd7 – e6 leads to a draw through repetition of positions . He overlooked the fact that 11.… c5 – c4 is now possible because the black rook is now covered.
In contrast, the pawn sacrifice mentioned above after 8. c2 – c3 d4xc3 9. Qd1 – d5 Bc8 – e6 10. Qd5 – c6 + Be6 – d7 11. Qc6 – d5 actually leads to a draw through repetition of positions .
In the 1929 Budapest tournament, for example, Endre Steiner played against José Raúl Capablanca , in which Black won easily after winning the pieces.
The trap was actually known much earlier, as it was mentioned in a game commentary in the Deutsche Schachzeitung from 1876. Why it was named after Noah's ark is controversial. Many chess players see this as an allusion to their "biblical" age. The chess historian Edward Winter, on the other hand, considers it possible that it can be traced back to the Hungarian chess player Josef Noa .
A variation of the Noah's Ark trap arises from the central attack of the closed defense after the turn sequence
- 1. e2 – e4 e7 – e5 2. Ng1 – f3 Nb8 – c6 3. Bf1 – b5 a7 – a6 4. Bb5 – a4 Ng8 – f6 5. 0–0 Bf8 – e7 6. d2 – d4
- through b7 – b5 7. Ba4 – b3 Nc6xd4 8. Nf3xd4? (8.Nf3xe5) e5xd4 9. Qd1xd4.
In the game Diesan against Halas, Schilden 1973, the failure of the Noah's Ark trap was shown if the other pair of knights remained on the board.
- 1. e2 – e4 e7 – e5 2. Ng1 – f3 Nb8 – c6 3. Bf1 – b5 a7 – a6 4. Bb5 – a4 d7 – d6 5. 0–0 b7 – b5 6. Ba4 – b3 Nc6 – a5
- 7. d2 – d4 e5xd4 8. Qd1xd4 c7 – c5? 9. Bb3xf7 + Ke8xf7 10. Qd4 – d5 + Kf7 – e8 11. Qd5xa8. Black gave up.
- 10.… Bc8 – e6 would have failed on 11. Nf3 – g5 +.
literature
- Edward Winter: Chess Notes , No. 2206, 3042 and 3045