Final position — Black is winning
Three Knights Game: Wins a Pawn (Stulz–Wall)
Black wins in 10 moves with a decisive material gain. (Stulz - Wall, Internet 1996)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Nc3 | f5 |
| 4. | Bc4 | fxe4 |
| 5. | Nxe4 | d5 |
| 6. | Bb5 | dxe4 |
| 7. | Bxc6+ | bxc6 |
| 8. | Nxe5 | Qg5 |
| 9. | Nxc6 | Qxg2 |
| 10. | Rf1 | Bg4 |
How the Three Knights Game: Wins a Pawn (Stulz–Wall) works
The Three Knights Game: Wins a Pawn (Stulz–Wall) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Three Knights Game. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 10, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 f5 4.Bc4 fxe4 5.Nxe4 d5 6.Bb5 dxe4 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Nxe5 Qg5 9.Nxc6 Qxg2 10.Rf1 Bg4. 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 (Stulz - Wall, 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 Three Knights Game: Wins a Pawn (Stulz–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.