Final position — Black delivers mate
Nimzovich-Larsen Attack: Back-Rank Mate
Black wins in 10 moves by checkmate. (Deiber - Delarge)
The moves
| 1. | b3 | b6 |
| 2. | Bb2 | Bb7 |
| 3. | f4 | e6 |
| 4. | Nf3 | Nf6 |
| 5. | c4 | Bd6 |
| 6. | Ne5 | Bxe5 |
| 7. | Bxe5 | Ng4 |
| 8. | Bb2 | Bxg2 |
| 9. | Bxg2 | Qh4+ |
| 10. | Kf1 | Qf2# |
How the Nimzovich-Larsen Attack: Back-Rank Mate works
The Nimzovich-Larsen Attack: Back-Rank Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Nimzovich-Larsen Attack. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 10, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.b3 b6 2.Bb2 Bb7 3.f4 e6 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.c4 Bd6 6.Ne5 Bxe5 7.Bxe5 Ng4 8.Bb2 Bxg2 9.Bxg2 Qh4+ 10.Kf1 Qf2#. 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 (Deiber - Delarge). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Nimzovich-Larsen Attack: 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.