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Chess traps every beginner should know
The Fishing Pole Trap
The fishing pole is a trap for Black against the Ruy Lopez. Black throws a knight to g4 as bait and, when White kicks it with h3, offers it for free with ...h5.
If White takes the knight, the h-file opens straight at the castled king. Black's queen swings to h4 and mates on h1 or h2 in a few moves.
Play this trap now2 minutes · free · no sign-upThe moves
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Ng4 5.h3 h5 6.hxg4 hxg4 7.Ne1 Qh4 8.f3 g3 9.d4 Qh1#
The queen on h4 threatens mate on h1. White pushes a pawn to f3, Black’s pawn goes to g3 and cuts off f2, and the queen mates on h1, backed by the h8 rook. White shouldn’t have taken the knight on g4.
What if the opponent doesn’t take the bait?
Push a pawn to f4
7...Qh4 8.f4 g3 9.Qh5 Rxh5 10.d4 Qh2#
Same pawn to g3! White’s queen blocks on h5 and simply gets eaten by the rook. Mate on h2.
Bring the knight back
7...Qh4 8.Nf3 Qh1#
The knight covers h2, not h1. The h8 rook guards the queen — mate.
How not to fall for it
As White, do not take the knight on g4 once Black has played ...h5. Simply continue with d4 or c3 — the knight on g4 is offside and achieves little.
If you have already played hxg4 hxg4, do not retreat the knight from f3: it is the piece that guards h2 and h4.
Play this trap now2 minutes · free · no sign-upQuestions
Is the fishing pole trap sound?
Not against best play — White can ignore the knight and stand better. It is a practical trap that works because the free knight looks irresistible.
Why is it called the fishing pole?
The knight on g4 is the bait, the h-pawn is the line, and the queen on h4 is the hook.