Final position — White delivers mate
Three Knights Game: Back-Rank Mate
White wins in 9 moves by checkmate. (Reti - Dunkelblum, Vienna 1914)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Nc3 | Bc5 |
| 4. | Nxe5 | Nxe5 |
| 5. | d4 | Bxd4 |
| 6. | Qxd4 | Qf6 |
| 7. | Nb5 | Kd8 |
| 8. | Qc5 | Nc6 |
| 9. | Qf8# |
How the Three Knights Game: Back-Rank Mate works
The Three Knights Game: Back-Rank Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Three Knights Game. In this line White delivers checkmate on move 9, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from Black.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Bc5 4.Nxe5 Nxe5 5.d4 Bxd4 6.Qxd4 Qf6 7.Nb5 Kd8 8.Qc5 Nc6 9.Qf8#. Each move looks reasonable, which is exactly why the trap is so effective over the board — Black walks into it while trying to play "normal" developing moves.
This pattern is well known from master and correspondence play (Reti - Dunkelblum, Vienna 1914). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as White or sidestep it as Black.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Three Knights Game: Back-Rank 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.