Final position — Black delivers mate
English Opening: Mate in 6
Black wins in 6 moves by checkmate. (Mantia - Trogdon, Dayton 1979)
The moves
| 1. | c4 | Nf6 |
| 2. | Nc3 | e6 |
| 3. | e4 | Nc6 |
| 4. | Nge2 | b6 |
| 5. | g3 | Ne5 |
| 6. | d4 | Nf3# |
How the English Opening: Mate in 6 works
The English Opening: Mate in 6 is a classic chess opening trap arising from the English Opening. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 6, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.e4 Nc6 4.Nge2 b6 5.g3 Ne5 6.d4 Nf3#. 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 (Mantia - Trogdon, Dayton 1979). 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: Mate in 6 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.