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Final position — Black is winning

King's pawn game

King's Pawn Game: Wins a Pawn #3

Black wins in 8 moves with a decisive material gain. (Miller, N. - Hewitt, 2005.??.??)

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O h6 7.a3 Be7 8.Qd5
1.e4e5
2.Nf3Nc6
3.d4exd4
4.Bc4Bb4+
5.c3dxc3
6.O-Oh6
7.a3Be7
8.Qd5

How the King's Pawn Game: Wins a Pawn #3 works

The King's Pawn Game: Wins a Pawn #3 is a classic chess opening trap arising from the King's pawn game. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 8, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.

The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.O-O h6 7.a3 Be7 8.Qd5. 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 (Miller, N. - Hewitt, 2005.??.??). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the King's Pawn Game: Wins a Pawn #3 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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