Final position — Black delivers mate
Reti Opening: Back-Rank Mate
Black wins in 6 moves by checkmate. (Gant - Kauschmann, Berlin 1988)
The moves
| 1. | d4 | Nf6 |
| 2. | Bg5 | Ne4 |
| 3. | h4 | d5 |
| 4. | Nd2 | Qd6 |
| 5. | c3 | Ng3 |
| 6. | fxg3 | Qxg3# |
How the Reti Opening: Back-Rank Mate works
The Reti Opening: Back-Rank Mate is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Reti Opening. In this line Black delivers checkmate on move 6, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from White.
The full sequence runs 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4 d5 4.Nd2 Qd6 5.c3 Ng3 6.fxg3 Qxg3#. 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 (Gant - Kauschmann, Berlin 1988). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as Black or sidestep it as White.
Practice this trap move-by-move
Open the Reti 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.