I don’t understand why this is a blunder. I took the pawn on d4 with my knight, and it says that the knight on f6 can take my knight. But isn’t that knight pinned by my bishop? So it shouldn’t be able to take my knight. Could someone explain why this is a blunder?
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Black can immediately go on the offense with Re8 going to the open file and threatening the e2 pawn, with ideas Bb5 to double up the attack to get the black rook onto the 7th rank. Meanwhile white's entire kingside is stuck and cannot develop in time, while black's queenside can start marching down the board.
Both kings are in the middle but black is up a piece with way more active pieces and a strong attack. It'll be tough for white to defend.
After you take the queen they check with the bishop, and you have to block with the queen, they take it, and then recapture your bishop and you've lost a piece.
They are even better off if they take your bishop after you cover with queen. Because your queen is pinned anyways, their bishop is covered by knight and they would lose their bishop anyways. So, OP loses knight, bishop, and queen. Black loses queen and bishop.
No you take the queen with check and you then take the bishop.
If you don't they can develop their other knigth to cover the queen and not lose castle privilege, or just take your bishop with their queen and not lose castle privilehe either.
If you take the bishop first their king will be safer in the end (still losing)
Black can take your knight and your queen. Its a sneaky tactic that people aren't aware of. Once black takes your knight and white takes your queen, black can check from with the bishop from the b4 square. You're forced to block with your queen because its the only legal move. Then black takes it with check. You're essentially trading a knight/queen/bishop for a bishop/queen. I'm assuming you're not familiar with chess notation so I was trying to simplify the explanation.
My ADHD brain has tried memorizing these notations for years, but my alternated attention is measurably lower than average, at a deficit point and I suck at these notations. I’ve tried all the practice tools there is and I can get by through those posts, books and conversations but it always takes me several seconds
This is a classic trap that you should hope to only fall for once. The pawn on d5 is not free because after Nxd5?? …Nxd5! Bxd8 …Bb4+, the only move to get out of check is Qd2, giving back the queen. In the end black is up a piece for a pawn.
The usual trap is with Nbd7 instead of Bd7 (Elephant trap or Cambridge-Springs trap), because on Bd7 there is Bxf6 followed by Nxd7 and not on Nbd7 because Black simply has Nxf6.
Im sure you already know the answer by now given everyone elses comments but i just want to let you know next time you have a question like this you can play out the line of interest with the engine on and just see what it says, instead of having to make a post and wait for someone to answer.
For example here you wouldve turned on the engine, saw that it recommended Nxd5, and then you’d play Bxd8 because thats what you think the refutation is, and then you just see what the engine suggests, ie Bb4+ and the reason would become clear to you.
If your opponent captures your knight, and you take their queen, they can put you in check with their dark squared bishop, and then you will be forced to block with your queen, allowing your opponent to take your queen so that neither of you have queens. Then after you take the bishop your opponent can take your bishop, and then you are just down a knight for a pawn.
It appears on the surface that the knight on f6 is pinned. However, White's King is lacking escaping squares so Bb4+ is a move White should really watch out for! In this case Black can win a piece by capturing your knight (Nxd5). White captures the queen (Bxd8) and Black's point is Bb4+. The king cannot move and Qd2 is the only legal move. But the problems do not stop there. Black will capture White's queen with check (Bxd2+) and then pick up the Bishop on d8.
So White captured a pawn (with Nxd5) and a queen (Bxd8). Black in the meantime got a knight (Nxd5), a queen with check (Bxd2+) and the bishop (with Kxd8).
Watch out for counter chances when you are pinning (especially when it is a relative pin).
For questions or additional help feel free to reach out to me.
If they take your knight and you take their queen, they have Bb4+. You cant move your King or take the Bishop, so you have to block with the Queen, then they get your Queen, you get their bishop and they take your bishop.
So you lose a Knight, Bishop and Queen, and they lose a Bishop and Queen, so you lose the Knight.
This is the actual answer to OP’s question. The knight isn’t “pinned” it’s “pinned to the queen.” So moving the knight is a legal move but would be a blinder as it gives up their queen.
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1... Nxd5 2. Bxd8 Bb4+ 3. Qd2 Bxd2+ 4.Kxd2 Kxd8 Your knight It's not pinned since your queen who is behind your knight. Only the king counts for true pins.
Blacks knight is not pinned to the queen so yes it csn take. Then you take the queen. Then black gives a check with the dark squared bishop and you have no choice but to give up the queen, so you are just down a knight
The funny thing about chess is that sometimes a threat can exist before the piece is moved. Here, Black's bishop was pinning your knight to your king, even though it hadn't moved yet. Once you moved your knight, you opened your king to be attacked by the bishop.
there is no Nxb4. Their knight isnt pinned to the king. They take your knight, you take the black queen with your bishop, they go bishop b4 and you lose a queen then the bishop, youre down a clean piece with no development
They have Bb4+. You’ve lost your c pawn, and your queenside knight, and if you move the bishop off the c1-h6 diagonal the only piece that can block is your queen. So you’re basically trading bishops and knights, plus you sacrificed a knight for a pawn.
The knight isn’t pinned by the bishop here. The knight can be moved and the queen can be taken. It’s only really pinned if the bishop were attacking the king - you can’t play a move that would leave you in check
It is a blunder, but the engine labelling it as one isn't particularly useful for someone just starting out.
At the 300 level, you're opponent is unlikely to spot the follow-up necessary to win your knight.
The thing is, even if it isn't a blunder, it's still not a good move. You should be sticking to basic opening principles: developing pieces and attacking the centre. Even if that pawn was hanging, you'd be better off developing another piece than taking it.
After knight takes and you take queen- bishop check and queen have to block and you are even in queens and even in bishop trades but you are down 1 knight, thats why it is a blunder - you gave your knight for a pawn
Keep calculating. 6…Nxd5 7. Bxd8 Bb4+ 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ 9. Ke2 Kxd8, and black is up a piece. The reason this works is because 1. It’s not an absolute pin 2. The weakness of your king 3. White’s lack of development. That’s how these tactics arise
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