Fishing Pole Trap
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
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The temptation
7.Ne1 is the move that springs the trap. Ne1 saves the knight from the g4 pawn and keeps White a piece ahead. It looks like a safe way to consolidate the captured knight.
Why it works
7...Qh4 threatens ...Qh2#. In the illustrated line, 8.f3 g3 9.d4 Qh1# finishes the attack. The g3 pawn covers f2 and h2, while the queen on h1 is protected by the rook on h8 down the open file. The trap is not an automatic refutation of taking g4: the specific retreat Ne1 allows this attack, and the later d4 ignores an immediate mate threat. Material counting is not a substitute for checking queen-and-rook access to the king.
The rook defends the queen down the file
Qh1 is protected by Rh8. The g3 pawn controls f2 and h2; White's own rook on f1 and pawn on g2 complete the cage.
How to avoid it
After 6...hxg4, 7.Ng5 avoids the illustrated passive retreat. Before accepting the knight offer, consider 6.d4 to strike at the centre instead.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.