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Final position — Black is winning

King's gambit

King's Gambit: Black Queen Trap

Black wins in 7 moves with a decisive material gain. (Molenda - Everett, Michigan 1973)

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 d5 4.exd5 Qh4+ 5.Kf1 f3 6.Qe1+ Qxe1+ 7.Kxe1 fxg2
1.e4e5
2.f4exf4
3.Bc4d5
4.exd5Qh4+
5.Kf1f3
6.Qe1+Qxe1+
7.Kxe1fxg2

How the King's Gambit: Black Queen Trap works

The King's Gambit: Black Queen Trap is a classic chess opening trap arising from the King's gambit. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 7, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.

The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 d5 4.exd5 Qh4+ 5.Kf1 f3 6.Qe1+ Qxe1+ 7.Kxe1 fxg2. 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 (Molenda - Everett, Michigan 1973). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the King's Gambit: Black Queen Trap 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.

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