Final position — Black delivers mate
King's Gambit: Mate in 4
Black wins in 4 moves by checkmate. (Tchineoff - Maillard, Paris 1925)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | f4 | Bc5 |
| 3. | fxe5 | Qh4+ |
| 4. | Ke2 | Qxe4# |
How the King's Gambit: Mate in 4 works
The King's Gambit: Mate in 4 is a classic chess opening trap arising from the King's gambit. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 4, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.fxe5 Qh4+ 4.Ke2 Qxe4#. 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 (Tchineoff - Maillard, Paris 1925). 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: Mate in 4 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.