Chess traps
The Elephant Trap: Queen's Gambit Declined Trap
The Elephant trap is a Queen's Gambit Declined trap in which White wrongly treats Black's knight on f6 as pinned and wins a pawn on d5. Black's 6...Nxd5 gives up the queen, but 7...Bb4+ wins it back and leaves Black a piece up.
Example
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 Kxd8
6.Nxd5 grabs a pawn because the knight on f6 seems pinned. But 6...Nxd5 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ forces 8.Qd2, and after 8...Bxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Kxd8 Black has won a knight for a pawn.
How the trap works
After 5.cxd5 exd5, the d5 pawn is attacked by the knight on c3 and defended only by the knight on f6. That knight seems pinned to the queen by the bishop on g5, so 6.Nxd5 looks like a free pawn.
The pin is not absolute. 6...Nxd5 gives up the queen, and after 7.Bxd8, the check 7...Bb4+ leaves White only 8.Qd2. Black takes the queen back with 8...Bxd2+, and after 9.Kxd2 Kxd8 Black has a knight for a pawn.
What White should play instead
After 5...exd5, White should simply develop with 6.e3, followed by Bd3 and Nf3, which is a normal Queen's Gambit Declined Exchange position. The pawn on d5 is not really hanging.
Once Black has answered 6.Nxd5 with 6...Nxd5, White is losing a piece whatever happens, since Black's queen now attacks the bishop on g5. Declining the bait one move earlier is the only real fix.
Why it is worth knowing
The Elephant trap is one of the standard traps in the Queen's Gambit Declined, and the setup with 4...Nbd7 is a normal, sound line for Black. Black loses nothing by setting it, and White players at every level have fallen into it.
Common questions
Can White avoid losing a piece after 6...Nxd5?
Not really. If White does not take the queen, Black's knight on d5 simply remains a piece up. After 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ the queen has to block, so the piece is lost either way.
Is 4...Nbd7 a good move for Black?
Yes. It is a standard developing move in the Queen's Gambit Declined. It blocks the c8 bishop for a while, but it keeps the f6 knight supported and sets the trap at no cost.
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