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Final position — Black is winning

Scandinavian Defence

Scandinavian Defence: White Queen Trap

Black wins in 8 moves with a decisive material gain. (Mieses - Akvist, Europe 1895)

The moves

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 4.d4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.d5 Ne5 7.Nxe5 Bxd1 8.Bb5+
1.e4d5
2.exd5Qxd5
3.Nc3Qd8
4.d4Nc6
5.Nf3Bg4
6.d5Ne5
7.Nxe5Bxd1
8.Bb5+

How the Scandinavian Defence: White Queen Trap works

The Scandinavian Defence: White Queen Trap is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Scandinavian Defence. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 8, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.

The full sequence runs 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8 4.d4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.d5 Ne5 7.Nxe5 Bxd1 8.Bb5+. 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 (Mieses - Akvist, Europe 1895). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Scandinavian Defence: White Queen 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.

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