FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

1

Georg Mohr:

Trapping pieces

In chess it is not only the King, which can
be attacked, unprotected pieces are also
excellent targets. We can trap a piece in
two ways: with a direct attack, when the
piece has no escape squares, or with
shutting that piece out of a battle.
Mate, for instance, is also some sort of
trapping and it is the most powerful one!
After we trap our opponent's King, the
game is over immediately. But in our
Survey, we will look at the trappings of
other pieces. All pieces are in big danger if
they are cut off from the main forces or if
they have no escape squares. The danger
that our opponent will trap them increases
in all of these cases. And there is no
difference between pieces – one can even
easily trap his opponent’s Queen!
Queen is very popular target from the very
beginning of the game. Let start with some
famous examples!

Lugovoi A. : Balashov Y.
Krasnoyarsk 2003

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0–0
5.Bd3 d5 6.Nf3 b6 7.a3 Bd6 8.e4 de4
9.Ne4 Bb7? 10.Nf6 Qf6

XIIIIIIIIY
9rsn-+-trk+0
9zplzp-+pzpp0
9-zp-vlpwq-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PzP-+-+0
9zP-+L+N+-0
9-zP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

11.Bg5 Bf3 12.Qd2!
Famous motiv from the French defence
(1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 de4 4.Ne4 Nf6
5.Nf6 Qf6 6.Nf3 b6 7.Bd3 Bb7? 8.Bg5 Bf3
9.Qd2! +-). After 12.Qd2 the game is over:

12…Qd4 13.Bh7 or 12…Bf4 13.Bf4 Bg2
(13…Nc6 14.Bg5 Qd4 15.gf3.) 14.Rg1,
with Rg2 or Bg5 +- 1:0.

Fraser : Taubenhaus, Paris 1888

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 ed4 4.Nd4 Qh4
5.Nc3 Nf6? 6.Nf5! Qh5??
Better is 6…Qg4 7.f3 Qg6 8.g4 Qg6.

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+kvl-tr0
9zppzpp+pzpp0
9-+n+-sn-+0
9+-+-+N+q0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tR-vLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

7.Be2 Qg6 8.Nh4 1:0.

We have seen thousands of examples,
when, after development of White's Bishop
c1, the Black's Queen becomes too greedy
and attacks and eats pawns (or sometimes
even pieces!) on the Queen side. Eating the
Pawn b2 or Rook a1 is classical target:

Miko V. : Radics L.
Nyiregyhaza 2003

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+kvl-tr0
9zpp+-zpp+p0
9-wqnzp-snp+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+PsNP+-+0
9+-sN-+P+-0
9PzP-+-+PzP0
9tR-vLQmKL+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

After 8.Be3 Black saw the Pawn »for
free«: 8…Qb2?? 9.Na4 Qa3 10.Bc1 Qb4
11.Bd2 Qa3 12.Nb5 1:0. And Mr. Radics
wasn't the first victim in this position!

FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

2

Nezhmetdinov R. : Konstantinov A.
Rostov on Don 1936

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+k+-tr0
9+pwq-snpzpp0
9p+-+p+-+0
9+-+pzP-+-0
9-+-vl-zP-+0
9sN-zPL+-+-0
9PzP-+Q+PzP0
9tR-vL-mK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

11...Bc3?
Correct was 11...Bc5 12.Nc2 Bd7, with
approximately equal play.
12.bc3! Qc3 13.Qd2! Qa1 14.Bb1!
It's likely that Black overlooked this point.
He cannot prevent Bb2 and the Queen is
lost. 1:0.

The Queen is a special piece: due to its
high value it cannot be exchanged for other
pieces and must flee when attacked. That is
why the trainers advice to their students –
beginners – to develop other pieces first.
Playing with the Queen in the opening
could lead to a catastrophe. With no
exception, even if brave Queen Player is
the real chess Queen 

Romero A. : Polgar J.

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+kvl-tr0
9+p+nzp-zpp0
9p+n+q+-+0
9+-+pzPp+-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+N+LvLP+N0
9PzP-+-+PzP0
9+-tRQmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

14…g6?
14…Qg8 was the only (sad) alternative. If
14…Qf7 15.Ng5 Qg6 16.h4! h6 17.h5! and
the Queen is trapped again!

15.Nf4 Qg8 16.Nd5! Qd5 17.Bc4
And the Queen is trapped in the middle of
the board, with practically all pieces still in
the game! 1:0.

Sometimes even good old Russian school
didn’t help …

Timman J. : Polugaevsky L.
Hilversum 1973

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+ktr-vl-tr0
9+l+-+pzp-0
9p+-zppsn-zp0
9wqp+N+-+-0
9-+-sNPzP-+0
9+-+L+-+Q0
9PzPP+-+PzP0
9+-mKRtR-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

15.Nb3! Qa2 16.Nc3! 1:0.

And finally, in chess we don't have a single
trainers’ lecture without at least one
example by chess trainers’ Godfather -
famous Mikhail Botvinnik! For the present
chapter he could say his famous phrase:
»Look at the game …«:

Botvinnik M. : Spielmann R.
Moscow 1935
1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.ed5 cd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3
Nc6 6.Bg5 Qb6 7.cd5

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+kvl-tr0
9zpp+-zppzpp0
9-wqn+-sn-+0
9+-+P+-vL-0
9-+-zP-+-+0
9+-sN-+-+-0
9PzP-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+QmKLsNR0
xiiiiiiiiy

7…Qb2?? 8.Rc1! Nb4 9.Na4! Qa2
10.Bc4 Bg4 11.Nf3 Bf3 12.gf3 1:0.

FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

3

It is not easy at all to trap a Rook. It is a
very mobile piece, dancing up and down,
left and right on the ranks and files.
Let’s start with one study and a study-like
position.

Petrov, 1955

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+p0
9-+-+R+-mK0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-sNkvL-+-+0
9+-+-+-tr-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White is two pieces up, but how could he
defend everything? The solution is simple:
the sacrifice of both of them!
1.Re2! Rh1
Greedy 1…Kb2 loses after 2.Be3.
2.Kg3 Kb2
And now? It is well known that ending
R+B against R is drawn …
2.Be1!
Closing the circle around the Black Rook.
2…Kc1 3.Kg2 Kd1!
Double attack!
4.Rd2! Ke1 5.Rd4!
And the game is over!

Mortensen H. : Poulsen K.
Copenhagen 1992

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+p0
9r+-+-+-+0
9+-+k+K+N0
9-+-+-zP-zP0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

61…Rh4??

A suicide, Black probably forgot that the
next move is check!
62.Nf4! (Check!) 62…Kd2 63.h3!
And the Rook is trapped, with 64.Kg3 to
follow. 1:0.

In the next example we will find a typical
idea of how to trap a rook:

Andersson U. : Torre E.
Biel 1977

XIIIIIIIIY
9-tr-+-+-+0
9+pvl-mk-zp-0
9-+-+p+-zp0
9+p+p+-+-0
9-+-zPp+-zP0
9+R+-zP-zPL0
9-zP-+PmK-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

34…b4!
With an idea 35…Bd6, so, White has to
take.
35.Rb4 b5!
With Bd6 and b5-b4 to follow. The Rook
is trapped forever! 0:1.

As Rooks love space, a clever tactic is to
keep it behind its own pawns.

Stefanova A. : Dworakowska J.
Tromso 2007

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+ltR-sn-+0
9+ptr-+pmkp0
9p+-+p+p+0
9+-+-sN-+-0
9P+-+-+-+0
9+P+-zP-+-0
9-+-+LzPPzP0
9+-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

25.Nc4
Standard maneuver. Ex Woman World

FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

4

Champion wanted to close the Black
Rook!
25…Ra7
And Black Rook decided to do this without
force! 25…Rd7 26.Re8 (or 26.Rfd1) was
no better, 25…Nd7 too passive, after
26.Rfd1, Nd6 and everything is hanging.
26.Nb6! Bd7 27.Rd1 Bc6 28.b4 Be4 29.f3
Rc6 30.a5
The game is over! Rook a7 is closed
forever! White won easily.

In one of my first chess books (“hundred”
years ago) I found next game of Cuban
genius, the third World Champion Jose
Raoul Capablanca. It is well known and
perfect example of how to trap a piece or,
even better, how to eliminate it from the
play.I suggest you to study this example
very carefully – later we will see how this
classical knowledge can help us!

Winter W. : Capablanca J.R.
Hastings 1919

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Bb4
5.0–0 0–0 6.Bc6!? dc6 7.d3 Bd6 8.Bg5?!
»The start of a series of amateur moves.
White clearly has no feeling for the
subtleties of this variation, as otherwise he
would have preferred 8.h3; 8.Ne2; or even
the unusual 8.Kh1 h6 9.Ng1«. (Kasparov)
8...h6 9.Bh4 c5

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwq-trk+0
9zppzp-+pzp-0
9-+-vl-sn-zp0
9+-zp-zp-+-0
9-+-+P+-vL0
9+-sNP+N+-0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0
9tR-+Q+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

10.Nd5?
»White falls into the trap. Only lack of
experience can account for this move.«
(Capablanca)
10...g5! 11.Nf6

In the event of 11.Ng5? Nd5! White
would have lost a piece without a serious
compensation: 12.Nf3 Nf6 13.Nd2 Be7.
Similarly hopeless was 11.Bg3 Nd5 12.ed5
Bg4 13.h3 Bf3 14.Qf3 f5 …
11...Qf6 12.Bg3 Bg4! 13.h3 Bf3 14.Qf3
Qf3 15.gf3 f6!

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-+-trk+0
9zppzp-+-+-0
9-+-vl-zp-zp0
9+-zp-zp-zp-0
9-+-+P+-+0
9+-+P+PvLP0
9PzPP+-zP-+0
9tR-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

This position deserves a new diagram. The
game is over – the White Bishop g3 is
locked in forever!

»A simple examination will show that
White is minus a bishop for all practical
purposes. Black now devotes all his energy
to the queenside, and having practically a
bishop more the result cannot be in doubt.«
(Capablanca) How simple is the chess
sometimes, in the hands of great
Champions …
Great Capa told us everything. The rule is
simple: »Play on the other side of the
board from the excluded (trapped, locked)
piece!«
The rest was easy:
16.Kg2 a5 17.a4 Kf7 18.Rh1 Ke6 19.h4
Rfb8 20.hg5 hg5 21.b3 c6! 22.Ra2 b5
23.Rha1 c4!
The decisive breakthrough. If 24.dc4 bc4
25.bc4 Rb4!, followed by ...Rab8, Rc4 etc.
24.ab5 cb3 25.cb3 Rb5 26.Ra4 Rb3 27.d4
Rb5! 28.Rc4 Rb4 29.Rc6 Rd4 0:1.

Years later I found a nice example on this
theme, presented in the excellent book of
FIDE Senior Trainer Dejan Bojkov and his
GM colleague Vladimir Georgiev »A
course in chess tactics«. We will easily
found out, that Georgiev has studied chess
classics very carefully …

FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

5

Brener I. : Georgiev V.
Neuhausen 2007

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+lwqk+-tr0
9+-+-+pzp-0
9p+pzp-sn-zp0
9+pvl-zp-+-0
9-+-snP+-vL0
9+LsNP+N+P0
9PzPP+-zPP+0
9tR-+QmK-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

11.Ne2? Nf3! 12.gf3 g5 13.Bg3 Qe7!
Do you recognize the motifs? Bishop g3 is
out of the game and with next precise
moves Black will secure this fact. White
has more possibilities as Winter against
Capa, but Black will deal with them very
easily. There are two ideas for White:
break d3-d4, where Black has to hold his
Pawn on e5. With 13…Qe7 he is prepared
(14.d4 Bb6). Second idea is h3-h4 break,
but Black can deal with it by simple Rg8.
Now we know all ideas and the rest is very
simple!
14.Qd2 Bb6! 15.h4 Rg8! 16.hg5 hg5
17.d4 Bb7 18.0–0–0 0–0–0 19.Qc3 Bc7
20.a4 c5 21.de5 de5 22.ab5 ab5 23.Bd5
Nd5 24.ed5 Bd5 25.Rh7 Bc4 26.Rd8 Rd8
27.Qe3 Qd6 28.b3 Qd1 0:1.
The game was decided after move 12!

Everybody knows that one must not take
the Pawn a7(h7) with the Bishop, if your
opponent has basic Pawn structure a7-b7-
c7 (f7-g7-h7). With the simple move b6 (or
g6) Black will cut your Bishop off and
later take him with a simple attack.
Everybody knows that, but the legend,
Robert James Fischer?

Spassky B. : Fischer R.
Reykjavik 1972

It was the first game of the “Match of the
century”. The tension was high and there
was a lot of pressure surrounding the
match. The legendary American, who

barely decided even to come and play, was
not exempt from all of this.

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-mk-+0
9zpp+-+-zpp0
9-+-vlpzp-+0
9+P+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9zP-+KzP-+-0
9-+-+-zPPzP0
9+-vL-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

Fischer equalized comfortably and the
normal result of this game would be a
draw. But, who knows why, Bobby
decided to take a poisoned pawn. Most
likely he overlooked one of the further
moves.
29…Bh2?
Interesting, it is not yet a decisive mistake,
but Black has to play a couple of only
moves.
30.g3
Of course! Now the Bishop is cut off.
30…h5
To the rescue of the Bishop.
31.Ke2 h4 32.Kf3 Ke7
Most likely Fischer had been planning
32…h3, and did not see the simple 33.Kg4
Bg1 34.Kh3 Lf2 35.Bd2! and the Bishop is
trapped.
33.Kg2 hg3 34.fg3 Bg3 35.Kg3
White won the game, although some
analysis has shown that Fischer could still
have saved the draw.

The easiest way of trapping is to trap the
Knight. Knights are not very mobile and
they can move only in the limited part of
the board. Also the Bishop, which value is
not a lot higher than the Knight’s value,
can easily do this job:

FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

6

Alterman : Ehlvest
Groningen 1993

XIIIIIIIIY
9-trl+-trk+0
9tR-+-+p+p0
9-+-+p+-+0
9+-zp-+p+-0
9-+n+-zP-+0
9zP-sN-zP-+P0
9-zP-+L+P+0
9+-mK-+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

1…Nb2?? 2.Bb5 1:0.

Marshall F. : Swiderski R.
Monte Carlo 1904

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-mk0
9zp-+-+-zpp0
9-zp-+-+-+0
9+-zp-vL-+-0
9-+-+-zP-+0
9zP-zP-sn-+-0
9-+-+-+KzP0
9+-+Q+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

1.Kf3 Nd1 2.c4! +-.
The Knight is cut off and 3.Ke2 will
collect it.

A Knight in the corner (or on the edge) is
like a Knight in the grave, great German
»Teacher of Nation« Dr Siegbert Tarrasch
wrote somewhere. This rule, of course, has
its exceptions, but in general try to develop
your Knights toward the Centre!

Maric R. : Bukal V.
Jugoslavija 1973

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+-tr-+k+0
9zpp+lwqp+-0
9-+-+p+pzp0
9snP+-+-+-0
9-+-+Q+-+0
9+-zPL+N+-0
9P+-+-zPPzP0
9tR-+R+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

1.Qb4! 1:0.

Trapping a King is usually leads to the
mate, but sometimes we can exclude the
opponent’s King out of the game, without
attacking him directly later. It is especially
effective strategy in the endings, where
King usually becomes a strong and active
piece.
Tan Zhongyui : Stefanova A.
Elista 2004

XIIIIIIIIY
9-tr-+-+-+0
9+-+-+p+-0
9-+-+p+p+0
9+-mk-zP-+p0
9p+Lzp-zPP+0
9+Psn-+-+P0
9PmK-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+R0
xiiiiiiiiy

33…a3! 34.Ka1
The only move: if 34.Kc1 Na2, if 34.Ka3
Ra8 35.Kb2 Ra2 36.Kc1 Ra1 -+.
With the King on a1 Black is practically a
piece ahead and the rest is pure technique.
Pure, but nice and precise!
34…Rh8! 35.g5 Kb4 36.Rh2 Rc8 37.Rd2
Rc4!
Very attractive. White is without the King
and without any chance!
38.bc4 Kc4 39.h4 d3 40.f5 Ne4 41.fg6 fg6
42.Rc2 Kd4 43.Rd2 Ke3 44.Rd1 Ke2 0:1.

FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

7

EXERCISES

1)

XIIIIIIIIY
9r+l+-trk+0
9+p+-+pzp-0
9p+ntR-+-zp0
9+-+-sn-+q0
9-zPL+NwQ-vL0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+PzP0
9+-+-+RmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White to play.

2)

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-mk-+r+0
9+-tR-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-zp0
9zp-+-+K+L0
9P+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+P0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White to play.

3)

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-mk-+0
9+-+-+N+P0
9-+-+-+-vl0
9+-+-+K+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White to play.

4)

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+q+-+k+0
9zp-+l+n+p0
9-+-+-+pvL0
9+-zpQsnp+-0
9-+Pzp-+-+0
9+-+-+-sNP0
9P+-+-zPP+0
9+-+-+LmK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

Black to play.

5)

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-tR-+-+0
9zpptr-zppmk-0
9-+p+-+pzp0
9+-zP-+-+-0
9-+-+N+-+0
9zPP+-+P+P0
9-vlP+-zP-+0
9+-+-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

White to play.

6)

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+k+0
9+l+-+pvl-0
9pzp-+-+pzp0
9+Nwq-sn-+-0
9N+P+-zP-+0
9zP-+-+-+P0
9-+-+Q+PmK0
9+-+-+L+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

Black to play.

FIDE Surveys – Georg Mohr

8

Solutions:

1) 23.Rh6!! 1:0 (23…Qh6 24.Nf6!

Kh8 25.Bg5 and the Queen is
trapped; Shirov : Wang Hao, Sochi
2009.

2) 1.Rc4! Rg5 2.Ke6! Rh5 3.h4! 1:0 -

the Rook is trapped, Gurvich,
1959.

3) 1.Kf2! Bg3 2.Kg2! 1:0;

Hildebrand, 1957, end of the study.

4) 32…Bd7! 33.Qd5 Qc8!, 0:1;
Reti : Vidmar, Semmering 1926.

5) 24.Nd6!, 1:0;

Peresipkin : Chekhov, Minsk 1976.

6) 35…Qc4! 36.Qc4 Nc4 37.Bc4 ab5

38.Bb5 Bd4, 0:1, both, the Knight
and the King are trapped, Black
won easily;
Maksimovic : Bojkov, Varna 2002.

Sources:
Dejan Bojkov, Vladimir Georgiev:
»A Course in Chess Tactics«, Gambit
2010;
Artur Yusupov: “Boost your Chess” (2);
Quality Chess 2010;
N. Kalinichenko: “Enciklopedy of Chess
Combinations”, Tranzitkniga 2004;
Chess Base.