Final position — Black is winning
English Opening: Opening Trap (Rodman–Wall)
Black wins in 7 moves with a decisive material gain. (Rodman - Wall, Internet 1996)
The moves
| 1. | c4 | Nf6 |
| 2. | f4 | e6 |
| 3. | d3 | Bc5 |
| 4. | Nf3 | O-O |
| 5. | b3 | Ng4 |
| 6. | h3 | Bf2+ |
| 7. | Kd2 | Ne3 |
How the English Opening: Opening Trap (Rodman–Wall) works
The English Opening: Opening Trap (Rodman–Wall) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the English Opening. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 7, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.c4 Nf6 2.f4 e6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nf3 O-O 5.b3 Ng4 6.h3 Bf2+ 7.Kd2 Ne3. 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 (Rodman - Wall, Internet 1996). 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: Opening Trap (Rodman–Wall) 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.