See Eric Rosen crush a GM in 14 moves playing the Stafford Gambit! This happens in the 2024 World Rapid and Blitz Championships.
The Stafford Gambit is a deceiving gambit filled with many possible traps played by black. Black gives up a pawn for faster piece development. Below we will look at one of several different traps from the book: Winning Chess: Tricks, Traps, and Gambits!
Below is just 1 variation of 7 that are covered in my book.
Here are the opening moves:
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nf6
Black offers white a free pawn on e5, and white will usually play Nxe5, and then black will develop Nc6:
3. Nxe5 Nc6
Since white is already up 1 pawn, white will probably take black's knight, and black should recapture with the d pawn (to allow the queen and bishop to have open lines)
4. NxN dxe6
This is the main starting position of the Stafford Gambit. It will be referenced multiple times in this section as we explore different move choices for white.
The engine suggests for white to play d3 or Nc3. We’ll explore both variations beginning with pawn to d3.
Variation: Pawn to d3
5. d3 Bc5
Black is threatening to play Ng4. The engine suggests the best moves for white are: Be2 or f3. Either move stops the trap. Instead, if white plays Bg5 or h3 then black can setup multiple traps. We will explore both moves. First, let’s explore the Bg5 variation and the first five traps.
If white plays Bg5, pinning the knight to the queen, then black is able to play a nice move
6.Bg5
Trap #1
6. ... Nxe4!
Black sacrifices the queen!
If white plays BxQ, then black will play Bxf2 check
7. BxQ Bxf2+
7. Ke2
Black sacrifices the queen!
7. ... Bg4#
Checkmate!
This is just 1 trap out of 7 different Stafford Gambit traps from the book Winning Chess: Tricks, Traps, and Gambits!
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