You know, Shallopp Defense is actually a pretty annoying Black’s line, who wants to punish you for playing your beloved King’s Gambit against them. Check the diagram:
This position appears after the opening moves:
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. ♘f3 ♞f6 4. e5 ♞h5
The black knight found a relatively safe place to protect the gambit pawn f4, so unless White finds an adequate compensation for the sacrificed pawn, they will face a material disadvantage in the endgame. However, Black’s position has some drawbacks as well – the knight doesn’t look too active at the board edge, it is limited in terms of making any further moves, and it is not protected by any other piece.
The trap I want to demonstrate in this article exploits the last thing, the lack of protection. An experienced player probably won’t fall into it, but it can be surprisingly efficient against opponents who aren’t used to play against the King’s Gambit too often:
This trap is easy to remember, and powerful enough to ensure White’s win after the 8th move of the game. Definitely worth adding to your arsenal.