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 careful play White is held to gain an advantage. The best moves are 4.Nxd4 exd4 5.O-O Bc5 6.d3 c6 7.Ba4 Ne7. This defence was published in 1843 in Paul Rudolf von Bilguer's "Handbuch des Schachspiels" and explored by Henry Bird in the late 19th century. Bird played it as Black at least 25 times, scoring +9 =3 −13 (nine wins, three draws, thirteen losses). Bird's Defence was later used a few times in tournament play by Siegbert Tarrasch, Boris Spassky, and Alexander Khalifman. Although it is still sometimes seen as a surprise weapon, no strong master since Bird has adopted