Final position — Black is winning
Sicilian Defence: Opening Trap (Bleischmidt–Lytschuk)
Black wins in 5 moves with a decisive material gain. (Bleischmidt - Lytschuk, Postal 1976)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | c5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bb5 | a6 |
| 4. | Ba4 | b5 |
| 5. | Bb3 | c4 |
How the Sicilian Defence: Opening Trap (Bleischmidt–Lytschuk) works
The Sicilian Defence: Opening Trap (Bleischmidt–Lytschuk) 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.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 b5 5.Bb3 c4. 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 (Bleischmidt - Lytschuk, Postal 1976). 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 (Bleischmidt–Lytschuk) 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.