Final position — Black delivers mate
Two Knights Defence: Back-Rank Mate
Black wins in 6 moves by checkmate. (O'Brien - LauerSmith, 1995)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | Bc4 | Nf6 |
| 4. | Ng5 | Nxe4 |
| 5. | Nxf7 | Qf6 |
| 6. | Nxh8 | Qxf2# |
How the Two Knights Defence: Back-Rank Mate works
The Two Knights Defence: Back-Rank Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Two Knights Defence. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 6, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 Nxe4 5.Nxf7 Qf6 6.Nxh8 Qxf2#. 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 (O'Brien - LauerSmith, 1995). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Two Knights Defence: 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.