Pick a trap
Choose a trap for White or Black. Every trap starts from the first move, so you learn how it is set up, not only how it ends.
Practice chess opening traps for free
Pick a trap for White or Black and play it move by move, from the first move to the moment it wins. Then play it again from memory, so you can use it in your own games and see it coming when your opponent tries it.
Scholar's Mate: Double Up on f7
ECO C20
You play WhiteEnds in checkmate
- 1. Learn
- 2. Test
Play 1. e4
Open the queen and bishop while taking space in the center.
Drag the piece on the board, or tap the button.
How the chess traps trainer works
Play it with guidance
Arrows show your moves and your opponent’s mistakes are played for you. Scholar’s Mate and Fool’s Mate come with coach notes; the other traps describe each move in plain words.
Play it from memory
Replay the trap without arrows. After two wrong tries the piece to move is highlighted, after three the move is shown, and your score counts the moves you found on the first try.
All 32 chess traps
Traps are grouped by the side that sets them, with the ECO code of the opening they come from. 12 of them end in checkmate.
Chess traps for White
- Practice
Scholar's Mate: Double Up on f7
ECO C20 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Legal Trap: The Queen Can Wait
ECO C50 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Réti's Mate: Double Check, Bishop Mate
ECO B15 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
King's Indian Setup: Immediate e5
ECO A48 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Damiano Punishment: Fork King and Rook
ECO C40
- Practice
Two Knights Defense, ...h6 Blunder
ECO C57
- Practice
Open Giuoco, Optional 6.e5 vs ...Nh5
ECO C54
- Practice
Fried Liver Attack
ECO C57
- Practice
Poisoned Pawn: Nxd5 and the c7 Fork
ECO D00
- Practice
Old Variation, Pawn-Holding Trap
ECO D20
- Practice
Central Variation, McDonnell Defense, Qxh8
ECO D20
- Practice
Central Variation, Greco Defense, Rxa8
ECO D20
- Practice
Hungarian Defense, Optional c3 Trap
ECO C50
- Practice
Italian Game, Greedy ...Qxe4 Trap
ECO C50
- Practice
Halosar Trap: Leave the Queen, Mate on c7
ECO D00 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Würzburger Trap: Cage the Bishop
ECO C29
- Practice
Danish Gambit: Bishops Break Through
ECO C21
Chess traps for Black
- Practice
Fool's Mate: Open the h4 Diagonal
ECO A00 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Kieninger Trap: Smothered Mate on d3
ECO A52 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Siberian Trap: Deflect the Knight, Mate on h2
ECO B21 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Two Knights Defense, 4.Ng5 Ba4 Mistake
ECO C58
- Practice
Modern Main Line, h3 Tactical Mistake
ECO C89
- Practice
Classical Variation, Be2 Trap
ECO C11
- Practice
Elephant Trap: Give the Queen, Win a Piece
ECO D51
- Practice
Lasker Trap: Underpromote and Skewer the Queen
ECO D09
- Practice
Noah's Ark Trap: Seal In the Bishop
ECO C70
- Practice
Ruy Lopez Exchange, Nxe5 Punishment
ECO C68
- Practice
Exchange: The e5 Pawn Is Not Free
ECO E92
- Practice
Blackburne Shilling: Bait on e5
ECO C50 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Englund Trap: Queen to c1
ECO A40 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Stafford Trap: Queen Sacrifice, Bishop Mate
ECO C42 · Ends in checkmate
- Practice
Fajarowicz Trap: Knight Mate on d3
ECO A51 · Ends in checkmate
Questions about chess traps
What is a chess trap?
A chess trap is a sequence of moves that tempts your opponent into a natural-looking mistake and then wins material or delivers checkmate. Most traps happen in the opening, while pieces are still undeveloped and the king is not yet safe.
What are the best chess traps for beginners?
Start with short, well-known traps: Scholar’s Mate, Fool’s Mate, the Legal Trap, the Fried Liver Attack, the Elephant Trap, and the Siberian Trap. All of them are on this page. Learn each one from both sides so you can use it and never fall for it.
Which chess traps are for White and which are for Black?
There are 17 traps for White, including the Legal Trap, the Fried Liver Attack, and the Halosar Trap, and 15 for Black, including Fool’s Mate, the Siberian Trap, the Elephant Trap, the Lasker Trap, and the Stafford Trap. Each list follows the Chessmate trap course for that side.
Should I play opening traps in my games?
Traps win games against opponents who don’t know them, but a trap that only works after a mistake should not be your whole plan. Prefer traps from openings you would play anyway, and know how to continue when your opponent avoids it. A few, such as the Blackburne Shilling Gambit and the Englund Gambit, leave you worse if the trap fails.
How many of these traps end in checkmate?
12 of the 32: 5 for White, including Scholar’s Mate and the Legal Trap, and 7 for Black, including Fool’s Mate, the Kieninger Trap, and the Englund Trap. The others win material or lead to a strong attack.
Is this chess traps trainer free?
Yes. It runs in your browser, needs no account, and all 32 traps can be practiced here. Nothing is saved, so you can start over at any time.
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