Why should you not take the knight in the Fishing Pole Trap? After 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Ng4 5.h3 h5, 6.hxg4? hxg4 opens the h-file onto your own king, and Black has a forced mate. White fell for it in 34% of 2,017 games. The safe move is 6.c3.
The trap
- e4 e5
- Nf3 Nc6
- Bb5 Nf6
- O-O Ng4
- h3 h5
- hxg4? hxg4
- Ne1 Qh4
- f3 g3
- Bxc6 Qh1#
After 6.hxg4 hxg4 the knight on f3 is attacked. If it moves, Black's queen reaches h4 with a mate threat on h2, and White's king has no defenders. Stockfish 18 rates the position after 6...hxg4 at -2.8 for White and finds a mate in two after 7.Ne1 Qh4.
Why it is tempting
The knight on g4 hangs to a pawn, and a piece is a piece. But the pawn that captures leaves h3, so the h-file is open to White's own king. The bait is a whole knight, and what Black wins in return is the game.
The safe move
6.c3 keeps everything protected. Stockfish rates it +1.8 for White after 5...h5, and 6.Ba4 and 6.d4 are nearly as good. Of the 29 legal moves in the position, 15 keep the evaluation within one pawn of the best, so White has room. Only the capture loses.
A safe line: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Ng4 5.h3 h5 6.c3 d5 7.Qa4 dxe4 8.Qxe4 Bd7 9.d4 a6 10.Bc4 Qe7
How often White falls for it
| Rating | Games with the position (per 10,000) | White took the bait | Black won within 10 moves (per 10,000 games) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 800 | 1.3 | 86% (6 of 7) | 0.6 |
| 800–999 | 3.5 | 65% | 1.0 |
| 1000–1199 | 6.1 | 54% | 1.1 |
| 1200–1399 | 8.3 | 46% | 1.2 |
| 1400–1599 | 8.3 | 32% | 0.7 |
| 1600–1799 | 7.8 | 28% | 0.3 |
| 1800+ | 4.7 | 19% | 0.2 |
Source: 3,062,092 rated Lichess games, September 2026. The trap is a beginner's and club trap: it is played about 1 game in 1,500, and falls away fast with rating. Black scored 63% in the games where White took the knight, and 55% overall.
The first row has only 7 games; treat it as an example, not a rate.
The rule
A free piece next to your castled king can be bait. Before capturing, ask what the capture opens. Here it opens the h-file, and an open file towards your king is worth more to the attacker than the piece.
Practise it
The free Trap Lab Fishing Pole drill puts you in White's seat and scores all 29 legal moves. Then you play Black and finish the mate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Fishing Pole Trap? A Berlin Defence trap: Black leaves a knight on g4 as bait. If White takes it with the h-pawn, the h-file opens and Black's queen mates on h2.
Is the Fishing Pole Trap good for Black? Only if White errs. After 6.c3 White is about 1.8 pawns better by Stockfish 18. Black scored 63% in games where White took the knight.
How do you avoid the Fishing Pole Trap? Do not play hxg4. Play 6.c3, 6.Ba4 or 6.d4.
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