abcdefgh

Final position — Black is winning

Italian Game

Italian Game: Wins a Pawn (Fiorito–Terpstra)

Black wins in 8 moves with a decisive material gain. (Fiorito - Terpstra, 1990.??.??)

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.d4 d6 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5 Nb8 7.Be2 Nxe4 8.Qa4+
1.e4e5
2.Nf3Nc6
3.Bc4Be7
4.d4d6
5.c3Nf6
6.d5Nb8
7.Be2Nxe4
8.Qa4+

How the Italian Game: Wins a Pawn (Fiorito–Terpstra) works

The Italian Game: Wins a Pawn (Fiorito–Terpstra) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Italian Game. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 8, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.

The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.d4 d6 5.c3 Nf6 6.d5 Nb8 7.Be2 Nxe4 8.Qa4+. 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 (Fiorito - Terpstra, 1990.??.??). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Italian Game: Wins a Pawn (Fiorito–Terpstra) 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.

More Italian Game traps

← Browse all chess traps