Final position — Black is winning
Rousseau Gambit Trap
Black wins in 10 moves with a decisive material gain.
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bc4 | f5 |
| 4. | d3 | Nf6 |
| 5. | Nc3 | Bc5 |
| 6. | Bg5 | d6 |
| 7. | Nd5 | fxe4 |
| 8. | dxe4 | Bxf2+ |
| 9. | Kxf2 | Nxe4+ |
| 10. | Kg1 | Nxg5 |
How the Rousseau Gambit Trap works
The Rousseau Gambit Trap is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Italian Game. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 10, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 f5 4.d3 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bc5 6.Bg5 d6 7.Nd5 fxe4 8.dxe4 Bxf2+ 9.Kxf2 Nxe4+ 10.Kg1 Nxg5. 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.
Recognising this pattern early lets you either spring it as Black or calmly sidestep it when you are White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Rousseau Gambit Trap 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.