Chess Openings: Learn to Play the 4 Ponziani Opening Chess Traps

[@TheChessGiant]

MY PONZIANI COURSE - thechessgiant.gumroad.com/l/ponzianiopeningcourse

[@micahluyben7439]

At 5:59, it’s actually faster to take with Pawn to A8. You take the rook, opponent must take back with their Queen, you capture the bishop with your Queen protected by your own bishop which is mate.

[@iammichael1094]

Thanks for covering this! I just started learning this opening a day ago.

[@leonardhochhausen4510]

I did learn the ponziani yesterday too!

[@TheChessGiant]

That's awesome! Whaat do you think of it?

[@TheChessGiant]

That's dope!

[@konstantink7310]

@@TheChessGiant dude I’m confused. On the second trap you say on move 4 you play d4 - d6 and than D5 but on the other video you recommended actually Bd3 not d5 so what should I play hoping for the trap with d5 or go Bd3 I don’t understand. The same for the last trap on move 7 do I take the option knight takes g6 or trap version. Other than that insane .

[@won-ton-wisdom7634]

Thanks for the vid bro, been pretty interested in the ponziani recently and your videos have been a great place to solidify some of my knowledge of its many lines.

[@aydinj3894]

Thank you. I have started playing Ponziani for two months. It was uncomfortable at first...halfway through forgetting what my plan should be. Once I got used to it, I got much better results at around 12 to1400

[@TheChessGiant]

You got it! And CONGRATS on the progress that's awesome. A Ponziani Opening chess course (with a bunch of Ponziani Opening KZbin videos) is coming soon. Good timing!

[@RCDinsmore]

At 5:05, why do you feel the pawn push will force the knight back? Blacks knight on e4 is threatening the f2 pawn, wouldn't it make more sense for black to move his Bishop to c5, to reinforce that attack, threatening either the queen / rook by knight taking on f2, or the bishop check on f2? Bischop C3 attacking the knight seems better.

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey! I actually don't think that the pawn push forces the knight to go back as Bc5 is a good option. We actually made a video about it, here it is! kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYOlhZyaZtmjr5Y

[@tsi88638scarlet]

Man your voice is so soothing and your explanations crystal clear, thanks a lot !!

[@TheChessGiant]

No problem Boby!

[@vietduc1568]

at 5:57 min: you could play pawn takes rook promoting into a queen, followed by queen takes queen and then white plays queen takes bishop and thats mate :))

[@QCteamkill]

It is mate if queen takes the new queen. But any of the knights can move instead and in the end it's pretty much the same.

[@TheChessGiant]

This is a winning variation as well!

[@makentosh956]

Thank you

[@TheChessGiant]

Of course! Glad you enjoyed it Abodi

[@shahidqazi500]

Really cool . It has covered the ponziani strategy in great detail ... Excellent

[@TheChessGiant]

Thank you Shahid!

[@andthorn3145]

Hey man, absolutely great video! You explained things nicely, and as a beginner, I'm loving the ponziani opening, and how sneaky its traps are. Wonderful, and thanks. I will keep rewatching this until I can play it by ear.

[@TheChessGiant]

Thank you Andres! 🙌🏽

[@dheerajpatel9569]

what about queen g4 at 6:44 instead of castling

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey Dheeraj, GREAT question! Here in that position, black would actually be able to play f5, kicking our queen around. And notice, we can't take the pawn with the queen because of the knight on e7. And, if we play Nxf5, the black queen flies in with Qxf2+ followed by snatching off the knight on f5. Hope this helps!

[@dheerajpatel9569]

Thanks I missed F5 completely.

[@TheChessGiant]

@@dheerajpatel9569 Ya no worries!

[@superlative_custard]

Great measured explanation thank you

[@TheChessGiant]

No problem!

[@jimfaethon]

At 5:51 i think best choice for black is queen b6 threatening white bishop and pawn f2,am i wrong?

[@TheChessGiant]

It almost works! If Qb6 we then play cxb7+ and if Qxb5 we are about to make a second queen on a8. If Kd8, we can't make that second queen because we would get checkmated on f2... so we instead play Nxf7+ and after Kc7 bxa8+N+!!!!! We are now forking the queen and king... I should make a video on this line

[@002akularithika6]

thank you for covering these lines I just started learning this trap

[@TheChessGiant]

Of course! That's awesome you're learning to play the Ponziani. It's a a great chess opening for white with a ton of potential, and most e5 players have never even heard of it. I believe we have another 8 Ponziani Opening videos, so if you want to check those out feel free to!

[@002akularithika6]

@@TheChessGiant will you make a video on halosar and lasker trap?

[@002akularithika6]

@@TheChessGiant it would be very helpful

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey! We have actually made both of those already! Here are the links to both. Halosar Trap - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnyndnWJZbeMfJI Lasker Trap - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rWnTc6Oifd-ijZY Hope this helps!

[@Wirthol_82]

Great video! Thanks for the explanation! Ponziani is very tricky and trapy openning. I like it!

[@TheChessGiant]

Thanks Victor!

[@drakehopkins5931]

that was quite smooth and quick, thanks for this

[@TheChessGiant]

You got it Drake! Glad you liked it and found it to the point.

[@french_cries_]

Hi thanks for the video! At 4:43 if black plays h6 should white just play Bxf5 or retreat to do Bh5 or some other move like Qa4+?

[@TheChessGiant]

Good question! This is actually a really good move for black. I would say take the knight on f6 and then Nbd2 followed by Nh4 to put some pressure on f5 because black might want to push that pawn. In fact, following Nh4, black should play f5 immediately cuz we can continue with something like Bd3 or Qf3 and f5 will never be possible again. I would say even position coming out of that variation. Hope this helps!

[@french_cries_]

Thanks for responding! I've been wanting to learn new openings and as a fairly not-so-great chess player I found your videos easier to follow than other videos, so thanks a lot!

[@BLACKSpiTFiReTT98]

At 4:36 what if black goes Pawn h6 trying to capture whites bishop

[@TheChessGiant]

In that case, we would probably capture the knight of f6 and give black doubled pawns

[@dionysschub5350]

For those who wonder, in the main line with pawn d5, Queen a4 and pawn xe4 queen d5 may be the most popular move but it is not the best because it allows the bishop on f1 to come out to c4 with tempo on the queen after the knight-exchange. Therefore the best move is queen d6 instead.

[@dysennn]

1:45 what do you do if they go f6

[@TheChessGiant]

We go over this variation in the link that I'll drop below! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jH_bq2mtZcugr9U

[@justloki_]

Oh this video complete the other one, perfect idea i like it!

[@TheChessGiant]

Ya so the thumbnail is similar but slightly different, and the video is different as it covers opening traps while the other one covered the opening theory! And thanks!

[@justloki_]

@@TheChessGiant yeah i saw that, keep it up

[@edmundespina7043]

Dude can you cover also the colle system

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey Edmund! I’ll add that to the list!

[@tobias4411]

Good content thanx! I was up against a line here 4:24 not covered, instead of 4...d6 they played 4...Bd6 to protect pawn. A rare move. Any nice line against this with traps or just playing solid?

[@patrickmacisaac222]

I see Blacks 3rd move as Bishop C5 as much as any other move, I still play pawn D4 with very good results

[@TheChessGiant]

What's up Patrick! Great point. Ya I have faced this as well and honestly that fits right into our plan, we simply continue with d4 and we have a Giuoco Piano type position with a move ahead.

[@patrickmacisaac222]

@@TheChessGiant Hi CG, excellent, thank you for the supporting conformation on that :)

[@philipp17802]

Rlly nice video but around min 5:58 you got a mistake. It’s checkmate if you use the correct move order not only winning position:) Love the way you repeat the lines briefly✌️thanks

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey Philipp! Thanks I appreciate it! Could you share the line with me with the different move order? 🙂

[@philipp17802]

@@TheChessGiant instead of q takes bd7 you go pawn takes rh8 making a queen directly. If qd8 takes qh8 you go qd1 takes bd7 mate. And qd8 is pinned to the king cuz new queen she has no moves. She takes qh8 or qh8 takes her and then again qd1 takes bd7 mate

[@philipp17802]

@@TheChessGiant thanks for answering me so fast and actually caring:)

[@philipp17802]

@@TheChessGiant nvm ur right boss. It leads to the same position at the end of black plays it perfectly but it allows one more trap so I gonna go with that lane cuz black can blunder checkmate another time

[@steveschwaiger3763]

Nice job! Do have a plan for Black against the Ponziani. I've been seeing it played more often.

[@katrinwilhelmina1715]

Thanks for sharing this opening❤️❤️❤️

[@TheChessGiant]

Of course!

[@skyeruddell3196]

appreciate your insight on this one.

[@TheChessGiant]

My pleasure! Let me know if there's any other chess openings you'd want covered

[@rahulchoudhury2991]

Hi, this is a wonderful video. Thanks for sharing these really nice ideas in the Ponziani opening. Would you kindly look at creating a video on the best way to play the Kings Gambit for Blitz and Rapid games. I'm sure people would like to see some creative and innovative original lines. Kings gambit it played quite a lot by players across ratings in various blitz and rapid tournaments.

[@TheChessGiant]

Thanks! Glad you liked it. And thanks for sending in this request for the King's Gambit. I've been getting a lot of requests for this so it's definitely on my radar.

[@dann7598]

2:16 why wouldn’t the black knight just take the white knight? I’m new btw

[@timnazarian2163]

It's pinned. That means it can't move, because if it would move, it exposes its king to whites Queen. Which is illegal

[@TheChessGiant]

That knight is pinned (aka can't move) by the queen on a4. Hope this helps! Thanks, Solomon

[@apfel_red8087]

thanks for everything bro

[@TheChessGiant]

You got it brotha. Thanks for tuning in.

[@manojkumarsahoo6715]

Nice video sir

[@TheChessGiant]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@GjoniClan]

now i feel stupid because i played always the same opening, Thanks man u rocks...

[@TheChessGiant]

Haha you got it brotha, and ya the Ponziani Opening is slept on. Should be played more!

[@moisesbn6043]

thank you!

[@TheChessGiant]

You're welcome!

[@alancoe1002]

I believe I read that Ponziani's favorite move against the Ponz, as black was not 3.d5, but 3. f5! Staunton wondered why the Ponz was not played more than it was.

[@TheChessGiant]

Okay I definitely need to make a video on this!

[@hassanbeyramzadeh2880]

perfect

[@TheChessGiant]

The Ponziani Opening is SLEPT ON!

[@xingchilee7078]

Hey Solomon, can you do a video on the orang utan opening (polish opening) please. Thank you

[@TheChessGiant]

Yes! Thanks for the great chess opening recommendation. When we make the video I will give you a shout out.

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey Xingchi, here is the Polish Opening video you requested! kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2Kkn6WGiNaUq5o

[@PavelGnatyuk]

Also black Knight taking pawn on c3 in the end helps against mate.

[@TheChessGiant]

Can you send a timestamp so I know exactly where in the video you're talking about? Thanks!

[@jamthejam3201]

What happens if on black’s second move, they just defend their pawn with another pawn and not the knight?

[@APTKC2025]

Then you are in a different opening altogether.

[@d.r.9888]

you should probably check something to play against the Caro Kann defense

[@TheChessGiant]

Then we are in a whole different chess opening. We are either playing against the Philidor Defense (with 2. ...d6) or against the Damiano Defense (with 2. ...f6). By the way, the Damiano Defense is terrible for black after 3. Nxe5!!

[@TheChessGiant]

WATCH MORE VIDEOS ON HOW TO PLAY THE PONZIANI: Learn to Play the 4 Ponziani Opening Traps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYHRqHugm62jl7s Learn to CRUSH Jaenisch Gambit with Ponziani: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYOlhZyaZtmjr5Y 13 Move Ponziani Checkmate Trap: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZrYqo1mgb1mfZI

[@xgcdarkninja911]

Why don't you go into f6 after d5 when black controls the center? This should be in this lesson..

[@dysennn]

true

[@TheChessGiant]

Pawn f6? Well this video is simply focused on the chess opening traps. If you want to look at the overall theory, just go to my Ponziani Opening playlist and you should see multiple there! Hope this helps, Thanks, Solomon

[@jaymate2k12]

What if black plays nf6 first after e5

[@TheChessGiant]

Then we enter the Petrov's Defense, in which case we can go into the main line of taking on e5 or could play a more traditional type move like Nc3

[@tylerarnold3971]

what are you rated on chess.com or lichess?

[@TheChessGiant]

2200/2300. How about you?

[@tylerarnold3971]

@@TheChessGiant just started about a month ago! i’m around 600 and trying to get a foundation openings and such. any very beginning tips for someone liek me?

[@d.r.9888]

@@tylerarnold3971 study openings and you'll get to 900 within a month or 2 ;)

[@TheChessGiant]

We’ve made two video that I think might help you. 1. 4 rules of the opening 2. Top 5 tips for beginner chess players If you search these they should pop up! I could type it all out but these are a good start. If you don’t have time to watch those though I would highly stress doing tactics! If you improve at tactics, it’s impossible to not improve! Also that’s awesome you’ve started playing chess! Good for you!

[@benoitjuvin3495]

What if black plays d4 taking the pawn?

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey could you send me a timestamp so I know exactly where in the KZbin video you're talking about? Thanks!

[@dysennn]

oh my god its amazing

[@TheChessGiant]

The Ponziani Opening is in a world of it's own!

[@siviwe__m2918]

Seeing all this is like cheating.. I lost it when black lost the knight and a queen... wow!! This is my favorite as of now as white

[@TheChessGiant]

The Ponziani Opening is incredibly dangerous, and so many e5 players have no clue on how to respond.

[@bigm6803]

black didnt have to play the quuen coudve killed the night with his knight

[@TheChessGiant]

Hey could you send a timestamp so I know exactly where in the KZbin video you're talking about? Thanks!

[@pawnpusher]

A lot of lower rated players with black don't know what to do against this opening

[@TheChessGiant]

Big facts! This opening is underplayed and therefore opponent's are usually underprepped.

[@hassanbeyramzadeh2880]

ooooppps😍😍😍😍

[@TheChessGiant]

THE PONZIANI OPENING IS UNDERRATED! ❤️ 😃

[@MCC-tm3ny]

I play the ponziani all the time and just in case anyone doesn’t realize in the variation where the knights are lined up pawn to d6 after bishop b5 check in the video he says if bishop d7 you simply take and are up a bishop that is not only inaccurate but devoid of the actual devastation of such a move. Once white takes bishop on d7 blacks one move because of check is to take with the queen. Meaning white wins the queen with knight to d7. He totally glosses over this fact and doesn’t even mention it. People fall into this awesome trap all the time in speed chess because defending with the bishop is a natural move

[@TheChessGiant]

I think it's somewhat obvious...

[@davidmiles8423]

The Ponziani is almost never seen at the highest levels of chess.Why is that?

[@TheChessGiant]

Honestly David I'm not sure! I've only seen Magnus Carlsen play it once, and many GM's haven't played it at all. I understand this not showing up in standard time controls but rapid/blitz/bullet? I am surprised just like you. There is no refutation to the Ponziani.