Final position — Black delivers mate
Ruy Lopez: Knight Mate
Black wins in 14 moves by checkmate. (Bohm - Hernandez, 1979.??.??)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bb5 | a6 |
| 4. | Bxc6 | dxc6 |
| 5. | O-O | Bg4 |
| 6. | h3 | h5 |
| 7. | d3 | Qf6 |
| 8. | Be3 | Ne7 |
| 9. | Nbd2 | Ng6 |
| 10. | hxg4 | hxg4 |
| 11. | Ng5 | Nf4 |
| 12. | Qxg4 | Qxg5 |
| 13. | Qf3 | Qxg2+ |
| 14. | Qxg2 | Ne2# |
How the Ruy Lopez: Knight Mate works
The Ruy Lopez: Knight Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Ruy Lopez. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 14, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4 6.h3 h5 7.d3 Qf6 8.Be3 Ne7 9.Nbd2 Ng6 10.hxg4 hxg4 11.Ng5 Nf4 12.Qxg4 Qxg5 13.Qf3 Qxg2+ 14.Qxg2 Ne2#. 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 (Bohm - Hernandez, 1979.??.??). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Ruy Lopez: Knight 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.