Stafford Gambit Queen-Bait Mate
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
0 / 16
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
- 5.
- 6.
- 7.
- 8.
The temptation
7.Bxd8 is the move that springs the trap. The g5 bishop appears to pin the f6 knight. When it moves to e4, taking the queen seems to punish Black immediately.
Why it works
7...Bxf2+ forces 8.Ke2, then 8...Bg4# delivers mate. The bishop on f2 covers e1 and e3; the e4 knight controls d2 and f2; Black's newly developed bishop checks along g4–f3–e2. White's own pieces close the remaining flights. The Stafford pawn offer itself is not a refutation of 3.Nxe5: White's specific error here is taking the queen without checking Black's forcing attack.
The apparent pin conceals a mating net
Bg4 checks e2. The f2 bishop and e4 knight remove the escape squares while White's own pieces block the rest.
How to avoid it
After 6...Nxe4, do not grab the queen: 7.dxe4 captures the knight. Respect the c5 bishop's attack on f2 when deciding whether a pin is real.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.