Final position — Black is winning
Ruy Lopez: Nxf2 Sacrifice
Black wins in 9 moves with a decisive material gain. (Wall - LonelyMonkey, Internet 1996)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bb5 | Nf6 |
| 4. | O-O | a6 |
| 5. | Bxc6 | bxc6 |
| 6. | Nxe5 | Nxe4 |
| 7. | Re1 | d5 |
| 8. | d3 | Nxf2 |
| 9. | Qf3 |
How the Ruy Lopez: Nxf2 Sacrifice works
The Ruy Lopez: Nxf2 Sacrifice is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Ruy Lopez. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 9, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O a6 5.Bxc6 bxc6 6.Nxe5 Nxe4 7.Re1 d5 8.d3 Nxf2 9.Qf3. 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 - LonelyMonkey, Internet 1996). 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: Nxf2 Sacrifice 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.