Final position — White is winning
Caro-Kann Defence: Opening Trap (Podhraski–Zavec)
White wins in 7 moves with a decisive material gain. (Podhraski - Zavec, Bled 1996)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | c6 |
| 2. | Nc3 | d5 |
| 3. | Nf3 | Bg4 |
| 4. | h3 | Bh5 |
| 5. | Be2 | Na6 |
| 6. | exd5 | cxd5 |
| 7. | Bb5+ |
How the Caro-Kann Defence: Opening Trap (Podhraski–Zavec) works
The Caro-Kann Defence: Opening Trap (Podhraski–Zavec) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Caro-Kann Defence. In this line White wins decisive material by move 7, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from Black.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 c6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bh5 5.Be2 Na6 6.exd5 cxd5 7.Bb5+. Each move looks reasonable, which is exactly why the trap is so effective over the board — Black walks into it while trying to play "normal" developing moves.
This pattern is well known from master and correspondence play (Podhraski - Zavec, Bled 1996). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as White or sidestep it as Black.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Caro-Kann Defence: Opening Trap (Podhraski–Zavec) 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.