Final position — White is winning
Two Knights Defence: Nxf7 Sacrifice
White wins in 10 moves with a decisive material gain. (Gilmore - Bringer, Dayton 1982)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bc4 | Nf6 |
| 4. | Ng5 | d5 |
| 5. | exd5 | Nxd5 |
| 6. | Nxf7 | Kxf7 |
| 7. | Qf3+ | Qf6 |
| 8. | Bxd5+ | Be6 |
| 9. | Bxc6 | Qxf3 |
| 10. | Bxf3 |
How the Two Knights Defence: Nxf7 Sacrifice works
The Two Knights Defence: Nxf7 Sacrifice is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Two Knights Defence. In this line White wins decisive material by move 10, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from Black.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Qf3+ Qf6 8.Bxd5+ Be6 9.Bxc6 Qxf3 10.Bxf3. 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 (Gilmore - Bringer, Dayton 1982). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as White or sidestep it as Black.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Two Knights Defence: Nxf7 Sacrifice 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.