Final position — Black delivers mate
Centre Game: Bishop Mate
Black wins in 10 moves by checkmate. (C21)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | d4 | exd4 |
| 3. | Bc4 | Nf6 |
| 4. | e5 | d5 |
| 5. | Bb3 | Ne4 |
| 6. | Ne2 | Bc5 |
| 7. | f3 | Qh4+ |
| 8. | g3 | d3 |
| 9. | gxh4 | Bf2+ |
| 10. | Kf1 | Bh3# |
How the Centre Game: Bishop Mate works
The Centre Game: Bishop Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Centre Game. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 10, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.e5 d5 5.Bb3 Ne4 6.Ne2 Bc5 7.f3 Qh4+ 8.g3 d3 9.gxh4 Bf2+ 10.Kf1 Bh3#. 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 (C21). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Centre Game: Bishop 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.