Final position — Black is winning
English Opening: Black Queen Trap
Black wins in 9 moves with a decisive material gain. (Doroshkievich - Tukmakov, Riga 1970)
The moves
| 1. | c4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nc3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Nf3 | f5 |
| 4. | d4 | e4 |
| 5. | Bg5 | Nf6 |
| 6. | d5 | exf3 |
| 7. | dxc6 | fxg2 |
| 8. | cxd7+ | Nxd7 |
| 9. | Bxd8 | gxh1=Q |
How the English Opening: Black Queen Trap works
The English Opening: Black Queen Trap is a classic chess opening trap arising from the English Opening. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 9, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 f5 4.d4 e4 5.Bg5 Nf6 6.d5 exf3 7.dxc6 fxg2 8.cxd7+ Nxd7 9.Bxd8 gxh1=Q. 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 (Doroshkievich - Tukmakov, Riga 1970). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the English Opening: Black 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.