Final position — Black is winning
Sicilian Defence: Opening Trap
Black wins in 5 moves with a decisive material gain. (Shirazi - Jack Peters, US Championship 1984)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | c5 |
| 2. | b4 | cxb4 |
| 3. | a3 | d5 |
| 4. | exd5 | Qxd5 |
| 5. | axb4 | Qe5+ |
How the Sicilian Defence: Opening Trap works
The Sicilian Defence: Opening Trap is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Sicilian Defence. 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 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 d5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.axb4 Qe5+. 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 (Shirazi - Jack Peters, US Championship 1984). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Sicilian Defence: Opening Trap 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.