Final position — Black delivers mate
Vienna Game: Pawn Mate
Black wins in 9 moves by checkmate. (Kolbe - Rotenstein, Berlin 1921)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nc3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | f4 | exf4 |
| 4. | Bc4 | Qh4+ |
| 5. | Kf1 | Bc5 |
| 6. | g3 | fxg3 |
| 7. | Nf3 | g2+ |
| 8. | Kxg2 | Qf2+ |
| 9. | Kh3 | d5# |
How the Vienna Game: Pawn Mate works
The Vienna Game: Pawn Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Vienna Game. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 9, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Bc4 Qh4+ 5.Kf1 Bc5 6.g3 fxg3 7.Nf3 g2+ 8.Kxg2 Qf2+ 9.Kh3 d5#. 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 (Kolbe - Rotenstein, Berlin 1921). 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: Pawn 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.