Traps.

A post. About how to avoid (I)chess opening traps.

Really, there's not much to it. There are 2 main ways, but I put far more faith into one than the other. The first is to study the openings you play carefully. First order of business is to pick an opening, than a variation or system associated with it. Plenty simple; now study the main line, side lines and notable opening traps at each juncture. Of course, since there'll be an opponent involved, make sure you study all the transpositions into other openings, which might lead into trouble if it takes you by surprise. E.g.:

1. e4 d6
2. d4 Nf6
3. f3 (!)

If ...g6 now, it's a King's Indian instead of a Pirc. New opening, new rules, new traps. At best it's just psychological discomfort; at worst it can be a loss in few moves.

The other method is by far more reliable. Think about this: 20 possible opening moves for each side = 400 positions after first 1 move. After 4 moves, there's a pretty high chance that you can escape any opening book, simply by using an original development scheme. In other words, don't play openings. Chances are if you don't know what you're doing, your opponent will (think too much and panic, going into defence mode which will waste time while you reveal your real plan, completely missing what your opponent sees) and you'll have bought some time to get into the middlegame.

This has been how not to lose in the opening.

Answers to quiz last time:
1. Sparrow
2. i before e
3. Unless
4. Nineteen letters long