LaviChess

The Fishing Pole trap: the bait on g4 and the hook on h5

Black leaves a bishop to be taken in front of White's king. If White takes it, the h-file opens, and after that a single careless move is enough for Black's queen and rook to give mate.

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The position before 8.Nxe5. White to move, and the natural move loses.

The trap

The trap arises in the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.O-O Bg4. The bishop pins the knight to the queen, and White asks with 6.h3.

Black doesn't retreat. 6…h5! leaves the bishop to be taken. The bishop on g4 is the bait, and the pawn on h5 is the hook.

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O Bg4 6. h3 h5 7. hxg4 hxg4 8. Nxe5 Qh4 9. f4 g3 10. Qh5 Rxh5 11. Rf3 Qh1#

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7… hxg4

Now the h-file is open, and the pawn on g4 attacks the knight.

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Open on the analysis board

Why it's easy to fall for

It's a whole bishop, and all White has to do is take it. It feels almost impossible not to.

Taking with 7.hxg4 gets two question marks in some accounts of the trap, but it isn't a loss in itself. After 7…hxg4 Black's rook stands on an open h-file against White's king, and the pawn on g4 attacks the knight. Now the natural knight moves lose. After 8.Nxe5 comes 8…Qh4 with mate, and after 8.Nh2 Qh4 White loses at least the knight.

What White should have played

Leave the bishop alone and play, for example, 7.d3. White develops, and the position is about equal.

If White has already taken with 7.hxg4, there is a way out: 8.Re1 or 8.d3 holds the position together, even though Black is better.

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7. d3

The right idea is to leave the bishop alone. White develops, and the position is about equal.

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Open on the analysis board

How it ends

After 8.Nxe5, 8…Qh4 mates in four however White defends. The same idea exists in the Berlin Defense, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O Ng4 5.h3 h5, where the knight on g4 is the bait. There the idea is worse for Black: after 5…h5 White is clearly better.

How often does it happen?

Our numbers reach as far as 7.hxg4, which 14,943 of the 207,159 games between club players in that position played (7%). Black won 86% of those games. After that the position is too rare to be among the positions we have counted, so we can't say how often the mistake itself is made.

Our numbers reach as far as 7.hxg4, which 2,449 of the 114,580 games between strong players in that position played (2%). Black won 80% of those games. After that the position is too rare to be among the positions we have counted, so we can't say how often the mistake itself is made.

Move by move: club players

MoveGames in the positionPlayed the moveThen White wonDrawBlack won
6.h3715,505489,705 (68%)49%6%45%
6…h5489,604205,527 (42%)46%6%48%
7.hxg4207,15914,943 (7%)12%2%86%
Move by move: strong players
MoveGames in the positionPlayed the moveThen White wonDrawBlack won
6.h3275,649213,864 (78%)51%7%42%
6…h5213,834113,939 (53%)50%7%43%
7.hxg4114,5802,449 (2%)17%4%80%

"Played the move": of the games in the position, how many continued with the move of the trap line; then how those games ended. A position missing from the table is too rare for our numbers. Source: games on Lichess in blitz, rapid and classical, fetched 7 November 2026. Club players means games where the players average 1600 or more, strong players games where they average 2000 or more.

Explore the position on the analysis board: the moves club players choose here and how the games tend to end.

Try it

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White has just taken the pawn with 8.Nxe5. Black to move: the h-file is open, find the way to mate!

Your opponent moves…

Four moves to find

The history

The picture behind the name: the piece on g4 is the bait, and the pawn on h5 is the hook. Who first called it the Fishing Pole, we don't know.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Fishing Pole trap?

A trap in the Ruy Lopez. Black leaves a piece to be taken on g4 with the pawn on h5 behind it. If White takes it, the h-file opens, and Black's queen and rook can attack the king.

Should White take the bishop on g4?

Better not. Taking isn't a loss in itself, but after 7…hxg4 natural moves like 8.Nxe5 and 8.Nh2 lose.

Every move on this page has been checked against the rules of chess, and every judgement of who stands better has been checked with a chess computer.

Updated November 14, 2026