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Final position — Black is winning

Scotch Game

Scotch Game: Wins a Piece (Lukelau–Wall)

Black wins in 5 moves with a decisive material gain. (Lukelau - Wall, Bill, 1996.??.??)

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bd3 Nxd4
1.e4e5
2.Nf3Nc6
3.d4exd4
4.Nxd4Nf6
5.Bd3Nxd4

How the Scotch Game: Wins a Piece (Lukelau–Wall) works

The Scotch Game: Wins a Piece (Lukelau–Wall) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Scotch Game. 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 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bd3 Nxd4. 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 (Lukelau - Wall, Bill, 1996.??.??). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Scotch Game: Wins a Piece (Lukelau–Wall) 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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