My old e4 traps still work

I cannot recommend entering the Philidor Hanham via an early Nd7.

lichess.org/EZbmFe2i/

Great! 👍👍

I recently made a study, just for you guys!

It is incredible that the people keeps playing the Philidor, I think that is one of those openings that is nearly to be refuted. Black want to reach some kinf of Slow Breyer, but White initiative it's too strong and White should win. Parimarjan Negi on his very first book Grandmaster Repertoire: 1.e4 vs The French, Caro-Kann and Philidor had shown why you shouldn't play like that. Also in the Boris Alterman Gambit Guide he wrote some of the sharpest line against it.

The Philidor is sound - but you have to go d6, Nf6, e5, Nbd7.

@Sarg0n and still get a passive position.

I wouldnt call them old- they still work!

Great! :P

Thanks! Remember that study, the ... Nd7 Hanham rings hollow nowadays (or outright bad).

Nice one! There are a number of lovely traps against the Nd7 Philidor. Here are a few that come to mind:

Trap #1: 110 Masters in the Lichess Database have made this terrible blunder 4...Be7??. 5...Nxe5 is better but after 6.Nxe5 dxe5 7.Qh5! white still picks off a pawn and is totally winning.



Trap #2: This trap is far more rare, relatively unknown, but very beautiful. It's a double piece sacrifice to lure the enemy king out a la Fischer - Reshevsky 1958 (www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008376)



Trap #3: This is a very nice refutation to the defensive 4...h6? 7...Ke8 walks into forced mate after 8.Qh5+, and 7...Ke7 loses a rook to 8.Ng6+.



The attack that follows the sacrifice in this trap is nicely demonstrated by the following game: lichess.org/VGMYZhzq

Sarg0n is right, don't play this with black!