Final position — Black delivers mate
Smothered Mate in the corner
Black wins in 19 moves by checkmate. (50 Opening Traps,Part 1 - Smothered Mate in the corner - C45 - https://lichess.org/@/CHESSLUCAFD)
The moves
| 1. | e4 | e5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | Nc6 |
| 3. | d4 | exd4 |
| 4. | Nxd4 | Nf6 |
| 5. | Nc3 | Bb4 |
| 6. | Nxc6 | bxc6 |
| 7. | Qf3 | h6 |
| 8. | a3 | Bxc3+ |
| 9. | Qxc3 | O-O |
| 10. | Bd3 | Re8 |
| 11. | f3 | d5 |
| 12. | Qxc6 | dxe4 |
| 13. | fxe4 | Nxe4 |
| 14. | O-O | Qd4+ |
| 15. | Kh1 | Bd7 |
| 16. | Qc4 | Nf2+ |
| 17. | Kg1 | Nh3+ |
| 18. | Kh1 | Qg1+ |
| 19. | Rxg1 | Nf2# |
How the Smothered Mate in the corner works
The Smothered Mate in the corner is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Scotch Game. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 19, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Qf3 h6 8.a3 Bxc3+ 9.Qxc3 O-O 10.Bd3 Re8 11.f3 d5 12.Qxc6 dxe4 13.fxe4 Nxe4 14.O-O Qd4+ 15.Kh1 Bd7 16.Qc4 Nf2+ 17.Kg1 Nh3+ 18.Kh1 Qg1+ 19.Rxg1 Nf2#. 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 (50 Opening Traps,Part 1 - Smothered Mate in the corner - C45 - https://lichess.org/@/CHESSLUCAFD). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Smothered Mate in the corner 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.