Final position — Black delivers mate
Budapest Defence: Bxf2 Sacrifice & Mate
Black wins in 5 moves by checkmate. (Arnold - Hanauer, Philadelphia 1936)
The moves
| 1. | d4 | Nf6 |
| 2. | c4 | e5 |
| 3. | d5 | Bc5 |
| 4. | Bg5 | Ne4 |
| 5. | Bxd8 | Bxf2# |
How the Budapest Defence: Bxf2 Sacrifice & Mate works
The Budapest Defence: Bxf2 Sacrifice & Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Budapest Defence. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 5, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.d5 Bc5 4.Bg5 Ne4 5.Bxd8 Bxf2#. Each move looks reasonable, which is exactly why the trap is so effective over the board — White walks into it while trying to play "normal" developing moves.
This pattern is well known from master and correspondence play (Arnold - Hanauer, Philadelphia 1936). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Budapest Defence: Bxf2 Sacrifice & Mate in the Trapsterapp to play it out on a live board, drill it in practice mode, and learn how to avoid it when it's set for you — along with the full library of chess traps and gambits, fully offline.