Opening LabThe Magnus Smith Trap
Progress
Opening Traps/know them from both sides/B57/You play White

The Magnus Smith Trap

Trade on c6, push e5, and if Black takes the pawn the d-file opens onto a queen guarded only by the king.

8♜
♞
♝
♛
♚
♝
♞
♜
7♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
6
5
4
3
2♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
♟
a1♜
b♞
c♝
d♛
e♚
f♝
g♞
h♜
Move 0 of 19 · White up
the moveattackscheckyour note

Play a move on the board and I’ll answer it. ← → to step.

Variations1 of 3
The Magnus Smith TrapFoundationA trap against the Sicilian, sprung from White's chair. Black heads for a Dragon with the Sozin bishop already on c4, White trades on c6 and pushes e5, and recapturing on e5 opens the d-file onto Black's queen with only the king guarding her.10 movesSidestepping it: 8...Ng4as BlackFoundation13 movesDeep dive: a queen upStructure12 moves
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.
StartBefore the first move

The starting position. White moves first, and that single tempo is the whole reason opening theory exists.

The moves in the text are buttons. Press one and the board beside it shows the position.

The idea in one paragraph

9.Bxf7+

In the Classical Sicilian with the bishop on c4, heads for a Dragon a move too late. White trades on c6 so that the b-pawn recaptures and leaves d6 with no piece behind it, then pushes at the f6-knight. Taking the pawn, , opens the d-file between the two queens, and drags the king off d8's defence: wins the queen for a bishop. (Fischer's recommendation) moves the knight without opening the file.

The pawn structure

The trade on c6 leaves Black with pawns on c6 and d6 and none on b7, and the push to e5 asks the d6-pawn to leave the d-file. That file, with a queen at each end, is the whole trap: a pawn on d6 is the only thing keeping the queens apart, and the king is the only thing guarding d8.

The plans

10.Qxd8

♔ White’s plans

  • Against ...g6 with the bishop already on c4, trade and push . The pawn hits the f6-knight and offers itself.
  • If Black takes on e5, check first: . The bishop drags the king off d8's only defence.
  • Against , the engine's answer is : keep the e5-pawn defended and develop.

♚ Black’s plans

  • Answer with , Fischer's move. The knight hits e5 and the d-file stays shut.
  • Then strike with ...d5: the pawn hits the c4-bishop, and after Nxd5 ...Bg7 wins the e5-pawn back.
  • Head for the queenless middlegame: the queens come off on d1, and Black's isolated a- and c-pawns are the only price.

Traps and things that lose games

The Magnus Smith Trap

10.Qxd8

. The cure: .

Trap 2

9.Qf3

The second-best knight move, , is not good enough either: joins the bishop against f7 and hits c6, and the engine gives White more than two and a half pawns.

Its cousin in the Sicilian, from the other chair

the Siberian Trap against the Smith-Morra.

1.e4 players who meet the Classical Sicilian with Bc4, and Sicilian players who like to fianchetto their bishop. The trap is old and well known, which is exactly why ...g6 with the bishop on c4 keeps catching club players.

Your learning path: The Magnus Smith Trap

Intermediate

One trap from both chairs: spring it against ...g6 as White, and meet 8.e5 with Fischer's knight jump as Black.

  1. FoundationOne sitting

    Goal. Spring it as White, and never fall for it as Black.

    • The order: Nxc6 first so the b-pawn recaptures, then e5.
    • The punishment: 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qxd8. Check before you take the queen.
    • From Black's chair: 8...Ng4!, and not 8...dxe5 or 8...Nh5.
    DrillDrill the trap as White, then the sidestep as Black. Then set up the position after 8.e5 and say what each of Black's three captures and knight moves opens.
    Common mistakeTaking on d8 at once after 8...dxe5. 9.Qxd8+ Kxd8 trades queens; 9.Bxf7+ first is what wins one.
    Move on whenYou can explain, without a board, why the d-file decides the game after 8...dxe5.
  2. StructureAfter the Sicilian chapter

    Goal. Play the queenless middlegame after 8...Ng4 from Black's side.

    • ...d5 and ...Bg7: winning the e5-pawn back.
    • The queen trade on d1, and why the king belongs on e7 afterwards.
    DrillPlay the position after 13...Nxe5 against an engine as Black.
    Common mistakeCastling short in the queenless position. The king is a fighting piece once the queens are off.
    Move on whenYou hold the position after 13...Nxe5 against an engine without losing a pawn.

Whose games to study

Wikipedia's Magnus Smith Trap article gives the move order and its history. Every evaluation here comes from Stockfish at depth twenty.

What to learn after this

The Sicilian Defence course, and the Siberian Trap, which Black sets against the Smith-Morra.