Elephant Trap
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
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The temptation
6.Nxd5 is the move that springs the trap. Bg5 appears to pin Nf6 to the queen on d8. White assumes Black cannot recapture without losing the queen.
Why it works
6...Nxd5 allows 7.Bxd8, but 7...Bb4+ forces 8.Qd2. Black captures that queen with ...Bxd2+, then after Kxd2 takes the bishop on d8 with the king. Both queens disappear, and Black emerges a knight for a pawn ahead. White's king on d2 is an additional inconvenience, not the main material verdict. A relative pin to a queen does not forbid a move when the opponent's king can be checked first.
An intermediate check restores the queens
Bb4+ forces Qd2; ...Bxd2+ removes White's queen before Black recaptures the bishop on d8. Black wins a knight for a pawn.
How to avoid it
Develop with 6.e3 or 6.Nf3 instead of taking d5. Bg5 is a normal developing move; the mistake is assuming its relative pin makes Nxd5 safe.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.