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OPENING TRAP

Fishing Pole Trap: Leave a knight hanging so the h-file opens for your queen and rook

The Fishing Pole Trap is a trap in the Ruy Lopez, Berlin. Leave a knight hanging so the h-file opens for your queen and rook. Checkmate on move 8. Even if White defends better, Black has a strong attack.

The moves

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Ng4 5. h3 h5! 6. hxg4 hxg4 7. Ne1 Qh4 8. d3?? Qh2#

The final position is checkmate.

  1. 1. e4 White takes the centre.
  2. 1... e5 You mirror the move.
  3. 2. Nf3 White attacks e5.
  4. 2... Nc6 You defend the pawn.
  5. 3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez.
  6. 3... Nf6 The Berlin Defence: a solid reply that hits e4.
  7. 4. O-O White castles. The king now lives on g1, and that is the target.
  8. 4... Ng4 The bait is set. The knight looks for a kick from h3.
  9. 5. h3 White attacks the knight. This is just what you wanted.
  10. 5... h5! The hook. The knight stays hanging. If White takes it, the h-file opens toward the white king.
  11. 6. hxg4 White takes the knight.
  12. 6... hxg4 You recapture. Now your rook on h8 stares down the open h-file.
  13. 7. Ne1 The pawn on g4 attacks the knight, so it retreats to e1. On f3 it guarded h2 and h4. Now it guards neither.
  14. 7... Qh4 The queen lands on h4, backed by the rook, and threatens Qh2 mate.
  15. 8. d3?? White misses the threat.
  16. 8... Qh2# Qh2 is checkmate. The rook on h8 protects the queen, so the king cannot take it.

How to avoid it

As White, do not take the knight. Playing 5.g3 or answering 5...h5 with 6.d4 keeps the position safe.

Practise it

In Trap Academy you watch this lesson, then play the Black side yourself against the replies of the trap. This lesson is part of Skillwik Pro.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Fishing Pole Trap?

Leave a knight hanging so the h-file opens for your queen and rook. It arises in the Ruy Lopez, Berlin. Checkmate on move 8. Even if White defends better, Black has a strong attack.

How do you avoid the Fishing Pole Trap?

As White, do not take the knight. Playing 5.g3 or answering 5...h5 with 6.d4 keeps the position safe.

More chess traps

Last updated 20 October 2026. Every line on this page is replayed move by move in an automated test.