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Final position — Black is winning

Queen's pawn game

Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Kusin–Warfalamejew)

Black wins in 4 moves with a decisive material gain. (Kusin - Warfalamejew, Rjasan 1973)

The moves

1.d4 d5 2.e3 e5 3.Qf3 e4 4.Qf4 Bd6
1.d4d5
2.e3e5
3.Qf3e4
4.Qf4Bd6

How the Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Kusin–Warfalamejew) works

The Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Kusin–Warfalamejew) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Queen's pawn game. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 4, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.

The full sequence runs 1.d4 d5 2.e3 e5 3.Qf3 e4 4.Qf4 Bd6. 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 (Kusin - Warfalamejew, Rjasan 1973). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Kusin–Warfalamejew) 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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