Fishing Pole Trap
You leave a knight where a pawn can take it. If White takes, the h file opens and your queen and rook mate down it.
37%of players rated around 800 take the knight here
Your opponent's Chess.com rating
Playing White against it? Defend against it
Good to know
- Opening
- Ruy Lopez
- You play
- Black
- The trap is set on
- Move 5
- What you win
- Checkmate on the h file
- If they do not bite
- Your knight has to go back
- Games counted
- 75,479 on Lichess
How to defend against the Fishing Pole Trap
Push your d pawn. 13% of players rated around 800 leave the knight alone and strike in the centre instead.
A better game for you.
The way out, move by move, as WhiteFishing Pole Trap moves
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Ng4 5.h3 h5 6.hxg4 hxg4 7.Nh2 Qh4 8.Qxg4 Qxh2#
- 1.e4White pushes the king's pawn
Most games start this way.
- 1…e5Push your king's pawn too
Meet White in the centre.
- 2.Nf3White's knight comes out
The knight attacks your pawn on e5.
- 2…Nc6Bring your knight out
Your knight defends the pawn.
- 3.Bb5White plays the Ruy Lopez
The bishop comes out to b5 and eyes your knight.
- 3…Nf6Bring your other knight out
This is the Berlin Defence. Your knight attacks White's pawn on e4.
- 4.O-OWhite castles
The king goes to the side where your trap will land.
- 4…Ng4Jump your knight to g4
This looks like a beginner move. It is the bait.
- 5.h3White pushes a pawn at your knight
The pawn attacks the knight. Do not move it.
- 5…h5Push your h pawn two squares
Your pawn guards the knight. You want White's pawn to take the knight.
- 6.hxg4The pawn takes your knight
37% of players rated around 800 take the free knight. It opens the h file for your rook.
- 6…hxg4Take back with your pawn
Your rook looks straight down the h file, and your pawn attacks White's knight.
- 7.Nh2The knight hides on h2
57% of them put the knight in front of the king.
- 7…Qh4Bring your queen to h4
Queen and rook both aim at the knight on h2. You threaten mate there.
- 8.Qxg4The queen takes your pawn
22% of them grab a pawn. It does nothing about the mate.
- 8…Qxh2#Take the knight with your queen
Checkmate. Your rook guards the queen.
Checkmate.
See it one move at a timeFishing Pole Trap questions
What if they do not fall for the Fishing Pole Trap?
63% of players rated around 800 play something else. Then your knight has to go back.
How do you defend against the Fishing Pole Trap?
As White, push your d pawn. 13% of players rated around 800 leave the knight alone and strike in the centre instead. A better game for you.
What do you win with the Fishing Pole Trap?
Checkmate on the h file. In the main line, checkmate.
At what rating does the Fishing Pole Trap work?
It works best against players under 400, where 52% take the knight. Against players around 2000, 4% do.
More traps
All opening trapsCounted from the rated blitz, rapid and classical games on Lichess that reached this position. Ratings are shown as Chess.com ratings: the games are grouped by Lichess rating, which runs higher, and each group is named by the Chess.com rating it comes to in ChessGoals' comparison of players with an account on both. A rating with fewer than 300 such games shows no number.