Final position — White delivers mate
Dutch: Back-Rank Mate
White wins in 4 moves by checkmate. (A82)
The moves
| 1. | d4 | f5 |
| 2. | e4 | g6 |
| 3. | exf5 | gxf5 |
| 4. | Qh5# |
How the Dutch: Back-Rank Mate works
The Dutch: Back-Rank Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Dutch. In this line White delivers checkmate on move 4, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from Black.
The full sequence runs 1.d4 f5 2.e4 g6 3.exf5 gxf5 4.Qh5#. 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 (A82). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as White or sidestep it as Black.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Dutch: Back-Rank 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.