Final position — White is winning
Three Knights Game: Bxf7 Sacrifice
White wins in 10 moves with a decisive material gain. (Jowett - McDonald, 1885.??.??)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Nc3 | Nf6 |
| 4. | Bb5 | Nd4 |
| 5. | Bc4 | Nxe4 |
| 6. | Bxf7+ | Kxf7 |
| 7. | Nxe4 | Nxf3+ |
| 8. | Qxf3+ | Kg8 |
| 9. | Ng5 | Qf6 |
| 10. | Qd5+ |
How the Three Knights Game: Bxf7 Sacrifice works
The Three Knights Game: Bxf7 Sacrifice is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Three Knights Game. In this line White wins decisive material by move 10, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from Black.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 Nd4 5.Bc4 Nxe4 6.Bxf7+ Kxf7 7.Nxe4 Nxf3+ 8.Qxf3+ Kg8 9.Ng5 Qf6 10.Qd5+. 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 (Jowett - McDonald, 1885.??.??). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as White or sidestep it as Black.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Three Knights Game: Bxf7 Sacrifice 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.