Tennison Gambit Trap
You give up a pawn and aim a knight at f7. If Black kicks it with the h pawn, you give up two pieces and take Black's queen.
33%of players rated around 800 kick the knight with the h pawn here
Your opponent's Chess.com rating
Playing Black against it? Defend against it
Good to know
- Opening
- Tennison Gambit
- You play
- White
- The trap is set on
- Move 5
- What you win
- Black's queen
- If they do not bite
- A pawn down, game on
- Games counted
- 1.8 million on Lichess
How to defend against the Tennison Gambit Trap
Bring your other knight out. 24% of players rated around 800 leave the knight alone. Get a piece out, with a pawn in hand.
A pawn up, game on.
The way out, move by move, as BlackTennison Gambit Trap moves
1.Nf3 d5 2.e4 dxe4 3.Ng5 Nf6 4.d3 exd3 5.Bxd3 h6 6.Nxf7 Kxf7 7.Bg6+ Kxg6 8.Qxd8
- 1.Nf3Bring your knight out first
A quiet first move.
- 1…d5Black pushes the queen's pawn
Black takes the centre.
- 2.e4Offer your king's pawn
This is the Tennison Gambit. You give up a pawn to set the trap.
- 2…dxe4Black takes the pawn
Your knight is attacked.
- 3.Ng5Jump your knight to g5
The knight attacks the pawn on e4 and looks at f7.
- 3…Nf6Black's knight guards the pawn
A natural move.
- 4.d3Offer your d pawn
You want the d file open for your queen.
- 4…exd3Black takes again
Take back with the bishop.
- 5.Bxd3Take back with your bishop
The queen stands behind your bishop. You want the h pawn to kick the knight.
- 5…h6The h pawn kicks your knight
33% of players rated around 800 push this pawn. It is the losing move.
- 6.Nxf7Take the pawn on f7 with your knight
The knight attacks the queen and the rook, so it has to be taken.
- 6…Kxf7The king takes your knight
91% of them take it. The king has left the queen.
- 7.Bg6+Check with your bishop on g6
The bishop gives itself up with check, and the d file is open behind it.
- 7…Kxg6The king takes your bishop
The queen has no guard left.
- 8.Qxd8Take the queen
You win the queen for a knight and a bishop.
You win the queen.
See it one move at a timeTennison Gambit Trap questions
What if they do not fall for the Tennison Gambit Trap?
67% of players rated around 800 play something else. Then a pawn down, game on.
How do you defend against the Tennison Gambit Trap?
As Black, bring your other knight out. 24% of players rated around 800 leave the knight alone. Get a piece out, with a pawn in hand. A pawn up, game on.
What do you win with the Tennison Gambit Trap?
Black's queen. In the main line, you win the queen.
At what rating does the Tennison Gambit Trap work?
It works best against players around 1100, where 35% kick the knight with the h pawn. Against players at 2100 and up, 21% 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.