Leonhardt Gambit Queen Trap
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
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The temptation
9...exd6 is the move that springs the trap. The knight on d6 is hanging and capturing it answers check. Black expects to emerge with two extra minor pieces.
Why it works
10.Qxa5 takes the queen. Moving Nb5–d6 cleared the fifth rank, opening White's queen on h5 against a5; capturing that knight does not close the line again. Nd6+ was a discovered attack with check, not a knight fork of a5: a knight on d6 never attacks a5. After the illustrated capture White has traded bishop and knight for a queen and pawn. Calculate discovered attacks along ranks as carefully as familiar diagonal discoveries.
Check uncovers a rank attack
The knight left b5, exposing h5–a5. The e-pawn has answered the check but the queen on a5 remains undefended.
How to avoid it
At move nine, consider 9...Ke6 rather than automatically capturing the knight. Earlier, declining 4.b4 with ...Qb6 or ...Qd8 avoids this queen chase.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.