Grivas on trapping a piece – 2

by Efstratios Grivas
3/3/2025 – A trapped piece is a piece that has no escape squares or squares where it can safely move without being captured. Even ‘heavier’ pieces can become ensnared, as can minor pieces. Today GM and International Trainer Efstratios Grivas shows us what can happen to such pieces if you are not careful. Annotated games.
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Trapping a Piece

The following are the most typical means of trapping pieces:

  • Capturing it!
  • Limiting its mobility using pawns/pieces and attacking it/locking it out of the game.
  • Chasing it to a bad square or corner of the board, where its mobility will be limited.

A trapped piece can be a bishop/knight, but also ‘heavier’ pieces as rook and queen.
Pawns are not referred to as trapped due to their limited movement, and kings cannot be captured, although any mate is essentially a trapped king!

Trapped pieces are important to recognise because they can often be won. We have to train on how to recognise and attack trapped pieces, but not all trapped pieces can be won easily.

If a trapped piece cannot be attacked or won, it can still be a liability, as technically material has been ‘won’.

Trapping the queen

This is an often met concept, as we have many games where a queen acts carelessly and expose herself early in the game. In general, try not to move around with the queen in the opening, chasing ‘poisoned’ pawns!

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Click the "hamburger" icon on the top left of the board and select an option. Try the Use splitters option and then click the engine button (fan) to go through one game after another.

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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.0-0-0 b5 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.Rhe1 h6 12.Qh3 0-0-0 13.Bxf6 Nxf6 14.Nd5 (D)
14...Qa5? An incredible blunder for such a great player as L.Polugaevsky! Black was optimistic here, but 14...Nxd5 15.exd5 Bxd5 16.a4 , Kosteniuk,A-KarjakinS Wijk aan Zee 2003, is a well-known position. 15.Nb3! 15.Nb3 But soon he realised that his queen is lost after Qxa2 16.Nc3+-
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Timman,J-Polugaevsky,L-1–01973B96Hilversum AVRO5
Shirov,A2745Wang,H26961–02009B97RUS-Ch tt2
Reti,R-Vidmar,M-0–11926D30Semmering Panhans9

Trapping a rook

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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.Bg5 0-0 5.Nbd2 d5 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2 Re8 8.0-0 e5 9.Nb3 c6 10.Rc1 Qb6 11.Nfd2 Nf8 12.dxe5 Rxe5 13.Bf4 Re8 14.c4 Qd8 15.Bg3 h5 16.h3 Ne6 17.cxd5 cxd5 18.Be5 Bd7 19.Nf3 Qb6 20.Qd2 Ba4 21.Qa5 Bxb3 22.Qxb6 axb6 23.axb3 Nd7 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 25.Rfd1 Nf6 26.Nd4 Nxd4 27.Rxd4 Rec8 28.Rb1 Rc2 29.Bf3 Ra5 30.b4 Rb5 31.b3 Ne4 32.Re1 Rd2 (D)
It seems that Black has sufficient counterplay, but this is not the case... 33.Rd1! The best try, as now Black can easily go wrong... Rxd1+? The less evil was 33...Rb2 34.Bxe4 dxe4 35.Rxe4 Rxb3 36.Rdd4 Rb2 37.g4 hxg4 38.hxg4 . 34.Bxd1 Nc3 35.Bf3! (D)
35...Kf6 35...Na2 , cannot solve all Black's problems after 36.Bxd5 Rxb4 37.Rxb4 Nxb4 38.Bxb7± . 36.Kf1 A critical position. Ke5? (D)
The last mistake. Black had to enter the above variation by 36...Na2 . 37.Be2! Another exchange that seals the black rook's misery. Nxe2 38.Kxe2 f5 39.f4+ Kd6 40.h4! Fixing any counterplay, but making sure that White will have the extra tempo g3, when needed. Kc6 41.Kd2 41.Kd2 And Black resigned, as White's plan is simple: he will bring his king to a4 and while the black king will be on c6, the move g3 will create a zugzwang and eventually the win of the unfortunate black rook. For example: Kd6 42.Kc3 Kd7 43.Kb2 Kd6 44.Ka3 Kd7 45.Ka4 Kc6 46.g3+- I was ‘lucky’ enough to witness this game live, as I was also participating in the very same tournament. 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Miles,A2565Gdanski,J24851–01993D03Iraklion Open4
Grivas,E2509Klokas,K22001–02007E90Cup-tt Attica Rapid3
McShane,L2596Gordon,S25401–02009B50BCF-Ch tt11
Andersson,U2565Torre,E25500–11977A46Biel GM10
Peresipkin,V-Chekhov,V-1–01976B31URS-Ch FL
Kramnik,V2790Naiditsch,A26841–02010E04Sparkassen GM5

Trapping minor pieces

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1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 0-0 8.Nf3 Re8+ 9.Be2 Ne4 10.Qc2 dxc4 11.Ne5 Bf5 12.Bxc4 Nd6 13.Bxf7+ Nxf7 14.Qxf5 Qf6 15.Qd3 Nxe5 16.dxe5 Qxe5+ 17.Be3 Nc6 18.Rb1 Rad8 19.Qc4+ Kh8 20.0-0 Na5 21.Qa4 b6 22.Bd4 Qe7 23.f4 c5 24.Be5 Qd7 25.Qc2 Nc4 26.Rbd1 Qc6 27.Rxd8 Rxd8 28.Rd1 Rxd1+ 29.Qxd1 (D)
29...Qxg2+? Black thought that White blundered, so he did so, himself! Fine was 29...Kg8 30.h3 Nxe5 31.fxe5 Qe6 32.Qe2 Kf7= . 30.Kxg2 Ne3+ 31.Kf3 Nxd1 (D)
32.c4! Trapping the knight, which will be lost soon, so Black resigned! 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
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  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Marshall,F-Swiderski,R-1–01904C01Monte Carlo8
Winter,W-Capablanca,J-0–11919C49Victory Congress Chief Tournament5
Brener,I2413Georgiev,V25400–12007C77Neuhausen Baden Challenge1

Here is part one on Trapping a Piece

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Efstratios (30.03.1966) is a highly experienced chess trainer and chess author. He has been awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) the titles of International Chess Grandmaster, FIDE Senior Trainer, International Chess Arbiter and International Chess Organiser.
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