Chess

Two nice traps, one in the opening and the other just out of it, decided games between leaders in early rounds of both the boys' and girls' world junior championships.

Taking the ladies first, Zuzana Hagarova had won her first five games and held a clear lead when she played White against Joanna Dworakowska in round six. The game opened 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4. All normal so far, but now instead of the characteristic Najdorf variation moves of 7...Qb6, or 7...b5, or 7...Be7 or 7...Nbd7, Black chose to transpose into a different system with 7...Nc6 8.Qd2 h6. Now White should play 9.Bxf6 but carelessly retreated the bishop with 9.Bh4 when 9...Nxe4! followed. Since 10.Bxd8 Nxd2 leaves Black a pawn ahead for nothing, White tried 10.Nxe4 Qxh4+ 11.g3 but after 11...Qd8 12.0-0-0 d5 Black had a healthy extra pawn and went on to win the game.

The neat trap in the boys' event came in the game Ponomaryov-Malikgulyev, which reached the diagram position after the moves 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.0-0 Ngf6 8.Ng3 Be7 9.c4 0-0 10.Bf4 Bxf3 11.Qxf3 c6 12.Rad1 Qb6 13.Bc1 Rfd8 14.Rfe1 Nf8. The apparent solidity of Black's game was then wrecked by 15.Nf5!

Black now faced an unpleasant choice. 15...exf5 16.Rxe7 is clearly bad for him (though probably the best he can do). 15...Bb4 runs into 16.c5 Qc7 17.Nh6+ gxh6 18.Qxf6 Bxe1 19.Bxh6.

So he played 15...Qc7, running headlong into 16.Qg3! Qxg3 17.Nxe7+ Kh8 18.hxg3. Black was able to trap the knight with 18...Re8, but after 19.Nxc6 bxc6 20.Be2, White's extra pawn and bishop pair added up to an easily winning advantage.