Final position — Black delivers mate
Larsen's Opening: Back-Rank Mate
Black wins in 8 moves by checkmate. (Johansen - Budde, Wuppertal 1986)
The moves
| 1. | b3 | d5 |
| 2. | Bb2 | Nf6 |
| 3. | e3 | e6 |
| 4. | f4 | g6 |
| 5. | g4 | Bg7 |
| 6. | Be2 | Nxg4 |
| 7. | Bxg7 | Qh4+ |
| 8. | Kf1 | Qf2# |
How the Larsen's Opening: Back-Rank Mate works
The Larsen's Opening: Back-Rank Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Larsen's Opening. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 8, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Nf6 3.e3 e6 4.f4 g6 5.g4 Bg7 6.Be2 Nxg4 7.Bxg7 Qh4+ 8.Kf1 Qf2#. 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 (Johansen - Budde, Wuppertal 1986). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Larsen's Opening: Back-Rank 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.