Trap · played as White

Sicilian: Magnus Smith Trap

Black's Dragon-style 6...g6 in the Fischer-Sozin lets White play 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5, when the natural 8...dxe5 loses the queen to 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qxd8.

A position this opening is aiming for.

You play
White
Variations covered
12
What it wins
Wins a piece

The main line

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 g6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5 dxe5

How the trap springs

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bc4 Bd7 7.O-O

Traps are only worth knowing if somebody actually falls into them, so each one here was checked against what club players really play, not only against what an engine would.

Some of the variations

…and 6 more in the trainer.

Train it

ChessReflex drills the branch points where a line splits rather than making you replay it move by move, so a repertoire this size is a handful of decisions instead of hundreds of moves. Free, and no account needed to start.

Open Sicilian: Magnus Smith Trap