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Final position — Black is winning

Petrov's defence

Petrov's Defence: Opening Trap #2

Black wins in 5 moves with a decisive material gain. (Wall, Bill - Ortiz, 1989.??.??)

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4 4.Qe2 d5 5.Nc6
1.e4e5
2.Nf3Nf6
3.Nxe5Nxe4
4.Qe2d5
5.Nc6

How the Petrov's Defence: Opening Trap #2 works

The Petrov's Defence: Opening Trap #2 is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Petrov's defence. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 5, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.

The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 Nxe4 4.Qe2 d5 5.Nc6. 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 (Wall, Bill - Ortiz, 1989.??.??). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Petrov's Defence: Opening Trap #2 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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