Final position — Black delivers mate
Evans Gambit: Back-Rank Mate
Black wins in 10 moves by checkmate. (D. Marshall - Marvin, Internet 1995)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bc4 | Bc5 |
| 4. | b4 | Bxb4 |
| 5. | c3 | Bc5 |
| 6. | d4 | exd4 |
| 7. | cxd4 | Bb6 |
| 8. | d5 | Qf6 |
| 9. | e5 | Nxe5 |
| 10. | Nxe5 | Qxf2# |
How the Evans Gambit: Back-Rank Mate works
The Evans Gambit: Back-Rank Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Evans Gambit. 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.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb6 8.d5 Qf6 9.e5 Nxe5 10.Nxe5 Qxf2#. 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 (D. Marshall - Marvin, Internet 1995). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Evans Gambit: 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.