Elephant Gambit Trap

Black checkmates on move 9

Sharp C40 Checkmate Springs the trap: Black

Elephant Gambit (C40) is a real game that ended in a trap. On move 8, White played 8.Qxe5+? — a natural-looking move — and Black replied 8...Qxe5+. The result: Black checkmates on move 9.

Watch the trap, then test yourself

The moves, one by one

  1. 1.
  2. 2.
  3. 3.
  4. 4.
  5. 5.
  6. 6.
  7. 7.
  8. 8.
  9. 9.

Tap a move to jump to it. The red move is the mistake.

Why the trap works

The mistake 8.Qxe5+ looks harmless, but it allows 8...Qxe5+. The king is left without enough defenders and the game ends in checkmate. With this single move the engine evaluation swings by roughly 9.0 pawns in Black’s favour.

How to avoid it

Instead of 8.Qxe5+, safe options are Qd1. The habit that saves you: before every natural-looking move, ask what your opponent’s best reply is — here it is 8...Qxe5+.

How to set it

Playing Black? Follow the moves above up to move 8, then wait for 8.Qxe5+. If your opponent finds Qd1 instead, just keep playing sound chess and look for the next chance.

Trap facts

Opening
Elephant Gambit
ECO code
C40
Difficulty
Sharp
Springs the trap
Black
The mistake
8.Qxe5+?
The punishment
8...Qxe5+
Safe moves
Qd1
Game
Abrikossowski - Parkov (1938)
Position before the mistake (FEN)
r3kbnr/ppp2ppp/8/q3p3/3n2b1/2NP1N2/PPPBQPPP/R3KB1R w KQkq - 3 8

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All Elephant Gambit traps · All opening traps

Frequently asked questions

What is the Elephant Gambit trap?

Elephant Gambit (C40) is a real game that ended in a trap. On move 8, White played 8.Qxe5+? — a natural-looking move — and Black replied 8...Qxe5+. The result: Black checkmates on move 9.

How do you avoid the Elephant Gambit trap?

Instead of 8.Qxe5+, safe options are Qd1. The habit that saves you: before every natural-looking move, ask what your opponent’s best reply is — here it is 8...Qxe5+.

How fast does the Elephant Gambit trap win?

Black checkmates on move 9, after White falls for 8.Qxe5+.


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