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Final position — Black is winning

Queen's pawn game

Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Steckner–Csajka)

Black wins in 8 moves with a decisive material gain. (Steckner - Csajka, 2002.??.??)

The moves

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.b3 Bg7 5.Bb2 c5 6.dxc5 Qa5+ 7.Nbd2 Qxc5 8.c4 Ng4
1.d4d5
2.Nf3Nf6
3.g3g6
4.b3Bg7
5.Bb2c5
6.dxc5Qa5+
7.Nbd2Qxc5
8.c4Ng4

How the Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Steckner–Csajka) works

The Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Steckner–Csajka) is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Queen'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.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.b3 Bg7 5.Bb2 c5 6.dxc5 Qa5+ 7.Nbd2 Qxc5 8.c4 Ng4. 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 (Steckner - Csajka, 2002.??.??). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Queen's Pawn Game: Opening Trap (Steckner–Csajka) 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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