Final position — Black is winning
Pin on the e-File
Black wins in 12 moves with a decisive material gain. (50 Opening Traps,Part 1 - Pin on the e-File - A08 - https://lichess.org/@/CHESSLUCAFD)
The moves
| 1. | g3 | d5 |
| 2. | Nf3 | c5 |
| 3. | Bg2 | Nc6 |
| 4. | O-O | e5 |
| 5. | d3 | f5 |
| 6. | c4 | d4 |
| 7. | e3 | Nf6 |
| 8. | exd4 | cxd4 |
| 9. | Nxe5 | Nxe5 |
| 10. | Re1 | Ng4 |
| 11. | f4 | Bb4 |
| 12. | Re2 |
How the Pin on the e-File works
The Pin on the e-File is a classic chess opening trap arising from the King's Indian Attack: French Variation. In this line Black wins decisive material by move 12, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.g3 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.O-O e5 5.d3 f5 6.c4 d4 7.e3 Nf6 8.exd4 cxd4 9.Nxe5 Nxe5 10.Re1 Ng4 11.f4 Bb4 12.Re2. 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 - Pin on the e-File - A08 - 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 Pin on the e-File 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.