Final position — White is winning
Three Knights Game: Wins a Pawn (D. Michaelsen–F. Michaelsen)
White wins in 13 moves with a decisive material gain. (D. Michaelsen - F. Michaelsen, Germany 1884)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Nc3 | f5 |
| 4. | d4 | fxe4 |
| 5. | Nxe5 | Nf6 |
| 6. | Bc4 | d5 |
| 7. | Nxd5 | Nxd5 |
| 8. | Qh5+ | g6 |
| 9. | Nxg6 | Nf6 |
| 10. | Bf7+ | Kd7 |
| 11. | Qf5+ | Kd6 |
| 12. | Bf4+ | Ne5 |
| 13. | Qxe5+ |
How the Three Knights Game: Wins a Pawn (D. Michaelsen–F. Michaelsen) works
The Three Knights Game: Wins a Pawn (D. Michaelsen–F. Michaelsen) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Three Knights Game. In this line White wins decisive material by move 13, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from Black.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 f5 4.d4 fxe4 5.Nxe5 Nf6 6.Bc4 d5 7.Nxd5 Nxd5 8.Qh5+ g6 9.Nxg6 Nf6 10.Bf7+ Kd7 11.Qf5+ Kd6 12.Bf4+ Ne5 13.Qxe5+. 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 (D. Michaelsen - F. Michaelsen, Germany 1884). 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: Wins a Pawn (D. Michaelsen–F. Michaelsen) 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.