Chess traps
The Siberian Trap in the Smith-Morra Gambit
The Siberian trap is a Smith-Morra Gambit trap for Black. With Black's queen on c7 and knight on g4, White's natural 9.h3 allows 9...Nd4, which attacks the queen on e2 and sets up mate on h2.
Example
1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 Nc6 5. Nf3 e6 6. Bc4 Qc7 7. O-O Nf6 8. Qe2 Ng4 9. h3 Nd4 10. Nxd4 Qh2#
9.h3 attacks the knight, but 9...Nd4 hits the queen on e2. 10.Nxd4 removes the knight that guarded h2, and 10...Qh2 is mate. 10.hxg4 Nxe2+ loses the queen instead.
How the trap works
In the Smith-Morra Gambit, White gives a pawn for quick development. Here Black's queen on c7 aims at h2, which is guarded only by the knight on f3. After 8...Ng4, the knight on g4 also attacks h2, so the knight on f3 is an important defender.
When White plays 9.h3, Black answers 9...Nd4. The queen on e2 is attacked. If White takes with 10.Nxd4, the defender of h2 is gone, and Qh2 is mate. If 10.Qd1, then 10...Nxf3+ 11.Qxf3 Qh2 is mate as well. If 10.hxg4, then 10...Nxe2+ wins the queen for two knights.
Why the natural move fails and what to play instead
9.h3 is a normal reaction to a knight on g4, and the move is often right in other positions. Here it costs a move and leaves the f3 knight and the queen on e2 overloaded.
White should play 9.Rd1, which gives the king f1 as an escape square and puts the rook on the open d-file. Now 9...Nd4 fails to 10.Rxd4, which wins a piece. White can also play 9.Nb5 to chase the queen off the b8 to h2 diagonal first.
The lesson
In gambits, the side with the extra pawn often has tactics against the attacker's king. Before kicking a knight, check what the knight can do when it moves, especially if it can attack your queen with tempo.
Common questions
What if White takes the knight with 10.hxg4?
Then 10...Nxe2+ wins the queen. White gets two knights for it, but Black is clearly winning.
Is the Smith-Morra Gambit sound?
It is a respectable gambit at club level. Black can accept the pawn and defend with accurate play, while White gets fast development and practical chances.
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