Milner-Barry Gambit Trap
Black wins a pawn on d4 with the knight and takes back with the queen. One bishop check later the queen is yours.
39%of players rated around 800 take the pawn with the knight here
Your opponent's Chess.com rating
Playing Black against it? Defend against it
Good to know
- Opening
- French Defence
- You play
- White
- The trap is set on
- Move 7
- What you win
- Black's queen
- If they do not bite
- A pawn down with an attack
- Games counted
- 871,863 on Lichess
How to defend against the Milner-Barry Gambit Trap
Bring your bishop out first. 35% of players rated around 800 find it. With a bishop on d7 the check is gone, and the pawn is yours next move.
A pawn up, with care.
The way out, move by move, as BlackMilner-Barry Gambit Trap moves
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 6.Bd3 cxd4 7.cxd4 Nxd4 8.Nxd4 Qxd4 9.Bb5+ Bd7 10.Bxd7+ Kxd7 11.Qxd4
- 1.e4Push your king's pawn
The usual first move.
- 1…e6Black pushes the e pawn one square
This is the French Defence. Black gets ready to push the d pawn.
- 2.d4Push your d pawn
Take the centre with two pawns.
- 2…d5Black pushes the d pawn
The pawn attacks your pawn on e4.
- 3.e5Push your e pawn past
This is the Advance Variation. Your pawns take space.
- 3…c5Black attacks your d pawn
The usual plan. Black goes after the pawn on d4.
- 4.c3Guard the d pawn with the c pawn
Keep the pawn chain together.
- 4…Nc6Black's knight attacks d4
A second attacker.
- 5.Nf3Bring your knight out
A second defender.
- 5…Qb6Black's queen attacks d4 too
Three attackers now: pawn, knight and queen.
- 6.Bd3Bring your bishop out to d3
The bishop blocks your own queen from guarding d4. That is the idea.
- 6…cxd4Black takes the pawn
Take back with your c pawn.
- 7.cxd4Take back with your pawn
Your pawn on d4 looks one guard short. You want the knight to take it.
- 7…Nxd4The knight takes the pawn
39% of players rated around 800 count the attackers and take.
- 8.Nxd4Take the knight
Now the queen can take back.
- 8…Qxd4The queen takes back
71% of them finish the trade. The queen now stands in front of yours.
- 9.Bb5+Check with your bishop
The bishop leaves d3 with check, and your queen attacks the black queen.
- 9…Bd7The bishop blocks
Trade bishops first, with check.
- 10.Bxd7+Take the bishop with check
The king has to take back.
- 10…Kxd7The king takes
The queen is still hanging.
- 11.Qxd4Take the queen
You win the queen for a pawn.
You win the queen.
See it one move at a timeMilner-Barry Gambit Trap questions
What if they do not fall for the Milner-Barry Gambit Trap?
61% of players rated around 800 play something else. Then a pawn down with an attack.
How do you defend against the Milner-Barry Gambit Trap?
As Black, bring your bishop out first. 35% of players rated around 800 find it. With a bishop on d7 the check is gone, and the pawn is yours next move. A pawn up, with care.
What do you win with the Milner-Barry Gambit Trap?
Black's queen. In the main line, you win the queen.
At what rating does the Milner-Barry Gambit Trap work?
It works best against players under 400, where 61% take the pawn with the knight. Against players at 2100 and up, <1% 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.