Ruy Lopez, Mortimer Trap Ruy Lopez, Mortimer Trap The Mortimer Trap is a chess opening trap in the Ruy Lopez named after James Mortimer. The Mortimer Trap is a true trap in the sense that Black deliberately plays an inferior move hoping to trick White into making a mistake. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 4... Ne7 5. Nxe5? c6! (see diagram) 6. Nc4 6... d6! 7. Ba4 b5 Mortimer played his defense at the 1883 London tournament against Berthold Englisch, Samuel Rosenthal, and Josef Noa, losing all three games. Johannes Zukertort, the tournament winner, also played it against
Ruy Lopez Neo-Steinitz Defence) ("ECO" C71–C76), Black interpolates 3...a6 4.Ba4 before playing 4...d6, which was frequently played by Alekhine, José Raúl Capablanca and Paul Keres. The possibility of breaking the pin with a timely ...b5 gives Black more latitude than in the Old Steinitz Defence; in particular, in the Old Steinitz, White can practically force Black to give up his strongpoint at e5, but in the Modern Steinitz, Black is able to maintain his . Most plausible White moves are playable here, including 5.c3, 5.c4, 5.Bxc6, 5.d4, and 5.0-0. The sharp Siesta Variation arises after 5.c3 f5, while a manoeuvring game results