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Final position — Black is winning

Vienna Game

Vienna Game: Wins a Pawn

Black wins in 7 moves with a decisive material gain. (Eissing - Draeger, Germany 1996)

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.f4 Bxg1 4.Rxg1 d6 5.Bc4 Qh4+ 6.g3 Qxh2 7.Kf1 Bh3+
1.e4e5
2.Nc3Bc5
3.f4Bxg1
4.Rxg1d6
5.Bc4Qh4+
6.g3Qxh2
7.Kf1Bh3+

How the Vienna Game: Wins a Pawn works

The Vienna Game: Wins a Pawn is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Vienna Game. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 7, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.

The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.f4 Bxg1 4.Rxg1 d6 5.Bc4 Qh4+ 6.g3 Qxh2 7.Kf1 Bh3+. 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 (Eissing - Draeger, Germany 1996). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Vienna Game: Wins a Pawn 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.

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