Ponziani Queen-and-Knight Fork
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
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The temptation
6...d6 is the move that springs the trap. ...d6 attacks White's active knight and opens the c8 bishop's diagonal. It looks like a useful developing move with tempo.
Why it works
7.Bb5+ c6 8.dxc6 bxc6 9.Nxc6 forks the queen on d8 and knight on e7. In the shown continuation ...Qd7 saves the queen, Nxe7 exchanges knights, and ...Bxe7 leaves White a pawn ahead. The tactic works because the checking bishop forces Black to address the king before driving the e5 knight away. Other replies to Bb5+ require their own calculation; the displayed line illustrates the fork rather than claiming every defence is forced.
Check creates the fork square
The knight on c6 attacks d8 and e7. The queen can escape, but Black cannot keep the e7 knight without an exchange.
How to avoid it
Before playing 6...d6, calculate Bb5+. A developing defence such as 6...Nf6 avoids this exact checking sequence and keeps the knight off the fork pattern.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.