- OpeningSicilian Defense
- The mistake8…dxe5
- The endWins material
The trap
The trap arises in the Sicilian Defense when White plays 6.Bc4 and Black answers 6…g6. Black wants to put the bishop on g7, but White's bishop is already aiming at f7.
After 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5 the pawn attacks the knight on f6.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 g6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5 dxe5 9. Bxf7+ Kxf7 10. Qxd8
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Why it's easy to fall for
The pawn on e5 is hanging, and 8…dxe5 looks like it wins it. It feels simpler than moving the knight.
But when the pawn on d6 disappears, the d-file opens between the queens. Black's queen on d8 is protected only by the king. After 9.Bxf7+ the king has to take, and then the queen stands alone.
What Black should have played
Play 8…Ng4. The knight steps aside and the d-file stays closed. White is slightly better.
Bobby Fischer wrote in My 60 Memorable Games that 8…Ng4 is the correct move.
8… Ng4
Right. The knight steps aside, and the d-file stays closed. White is slightly better, no more.
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How it ends
White wins the queen for a bishop. After 10.Qxd8 White has queen against bishop and is winning.
How often does it happen?
Our numbers reach as far as 7.Nxc6, which 47,550 of the 290,581 games between club players in that position played (16%). White won 59% 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.Nxc6, which 17,121 of the 78,593 games between strong players in that position played (22%). White won 64% 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
| Move | Games in the position | Played the move | Then White won | Draw | Black won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6…g6 | 1,015,630 | 264,573 (26%) | 49% | 4% | 47% |
| 7.Nxc6 | 290,581 | 47,550 (16%) | 59% | 4% | 37% |
Move by move: strong players
| Move | Games in the position | Played the move | Then White won | Draw | Black won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6…g6 | 387,643 | 70,416 (18%) | 52% | 5% | 42% |
| 7.Nxc6 | 78,593 | 17,121 (22%) | 64% | 5% | 31% |
"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
Black has just taken the pawn with 8…dxe5. White to move: win the queen!
Your opponent moves…
The history
The trap is named after Magnus Smith (1869–1934), who was Canadian champion three times: 1899, 1904 and 1906.
The name is a bit misleading, though. The chess historian Edward Winter has shown that the idea 8…dxe5 9.Bxf7+ was mentioned in print as early as a note to Blackburne–Paulsen, Vienna 1882. Smith's own contribution, in an article in 1911, was a different move in the same line: 9.Bf4 against 8…Ng4.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Magnus Smith Trap?
A trap in the Sicilian Defense. After 6.Bc4 g6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5 Black takes the pawn with 8…dxe5, and 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qxd8 wins the queen.
How does Black avoid the trap?
By playing 8…Ng4 instead of 8…dxe5. Simpler still is not to play 6…g6 against 6.Bc4.
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
8. e5
The pawn attacks the knight on f6.