Final position — Black delivers mate
King's Pawn Game: Nxh2 Sacrifice & Mate
Black wins in 9 moves by checkmate. (Manko - Jankowitz, Postal 1900)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Ne2 | Bc5 |
| 3. | f4 | Qf6 |
| 4. | c3 | Nc6 |
| 5. | g3 | Nh6 |
| 6. | Bg2 | Ng4 |
| 7. | Rf1 | Nxh2 |
| 8. | fxe5 | Qxf1+ |
| 9. | Bxf1 | Nf3# |
How the King's Pawn Game: Nxh2 Sacrifice & Mate works
The King's Pawn Game: Nxh2 Sacrifice & Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the King's pawn game. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 9, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Ne2 Bc5 3.f4 Qf6 4.c3 Nc6 5.g3 Nh6 6.Bg2 Ng4 7.Rf1 Nxh2 8.fxe5 Qxf1+ 9.Bxf1 Nf3#. 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 (Manko - Jankowitz, Postal 1900). 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 Pawn Game: Nxh2 Sacrifice & 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.