Petrov Symmetry Queen Trap
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
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The temptation
4...Nf6 is the move that springs the trap. ...Nf6 saves the attacked knight and returns it to a natural developing square. Black expects the material symmetry to remain intact.
Why it works
5.Nc6+ uncovers the queen's e-file check while the knight attacks d8. Black must answer the check, so the queen cannot simply escape. In the displayed reply ...Be7, 6.Nxd8 wins it. The e4 knight was not absolutely pinned by Qe2: White's own knight on e5 blocked the file. The tactic arises when that white knight moves with a discovered check, illustrating why blindly restoring symmetry can overlook the extra tempo.
Move the blocker with a discovered check
Nc6 exposes Qe2 against Ke8 and attacks Qd8 simultaneously. Black has to answer the check before saving the queen.
How to avoid it
After 4.Qe2, 4...Qe7 meets the discovered-check idea. Earlier, 3...d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 is the usual way to recover the e-pawn without copying too soon.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.