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Final position — White is winning

Ruy Lopez

Ruy Lopez: Opening Trap (Mueller–Petek) #2

White wins in 11 moves with a decisive material gain. (Mueller - Petek, Germany 1993)

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.O-O Be7 7.Re1 b5 8.Bb3 d6 9.Nxd4 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 c5 11.c4
1.e4e5
2.Nf3Nc6
3.Bb5a6
4.Ba4Nf6
5.d4exd4
6.O-OBe7
7.Re1b5
8.Bb3d6
9.Nxd4Nxd4
10.Qxd4c5
11.c4

How the Ruy Lopez: Opening Trap (Mueller–Petek) #2 works

The Ruy Lopez: Opening Trap (Mueller–Petek) #2 is a classic chess opening trap arising from the Ruy Lopez. In this line White wins decisive material by move 11, punishing a natural-looking but losing idea from Black.

The full sequence runs 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.O-O Be7 7.Re1 b5 8.Bb3 d6 9.Nxd4 Nxd4 10.Qxd4 c5 11.c4. Each move looks reasonable, which is exactly why the trap is so effective over the board — Black walks into it while trying to play "normal" developing moves.

This pattern is well known from master and correspondence play (Mueller - Petek, Germany 1993). Recognising it early lets you either spring it as White or sidestep it as Black.

Practice this trap move-by-move

Open the Ruy Lopez: Opening Trap (Mueller–Petek) #2 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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