Chessy
The Elephant Trap
White played 6.Nxd5 — and walked straight into one of chess's most famous piece-winning traps. It's your move as Black: find the sequence that wins material and practice it against the engine.
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Create a free account →The bait White took
From 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5, White recaptures the pawn and the position looks routine — then 6.Nxd5?? snaps off what appears to be a free pawn on d5. It's the move that sets the trap. In Lichess's database from this position (38,570 games), Black has scored 63.1% — largely because this knight capture is so tempting.
The winning sequence: Nxd5! Bxd8 Bb4+
Black responds with 6...Nxd5!, attacking the g5-bishop. White's only attempt to keep the queen is 7.Bxd8, snatching it — but now 7...Bb4+ pins the queen with check. After 8.Qd2, Black has won the bishop and the queen trade resolves favorably: Black emerges a clean piece ahead. Stockfish evaluates the position at –3.99, firmly in Black's favor. The trap ends with White down a full minor piece.
Why Nxd5 is such a natural blunder
On move 6, the d5-pawn looks genuinely loose — it's no longer protected by the e-pawn, and no Black piece appears to guard it. White's knight on c3 is already developed, so the capture feels free. The trap's genius is that the bishop on g5 becomes the victim: once Black plays Nxd5 and Bb4+, White's queen and bishop can't both survive. Taking an apparently free pawn while ignoring a discovered pin is exactly the kind of fast reasoning the Elephant Trap punishes.
How to avoid it (as White)
Simply don't play 6.Nxd5 in this structure. After 5...exd5, White can continue quietly with 6.e3, 6.Nf3, or 6.Bf4 — all maintaining the initiative without allowing the piece-winning trick. If you want to keep the c3-knight active, verify that the d5-pawn is genuinely undefended before capturing. When the opposing bishop still sits on f8 with a clear diagonal, ask what Bb4+ achieves before touching the pawn.
Results across 38,570 Lichess games
| Most-played continuation | Games | White wins |
|---|---|---|
| Nxd5 | 21,981 | 21.4% |
| Be7 | 6,231 | 52.8% |
| c6 | 4,818 | 46.4% |
| h6 | 3,971 | 39.2% |
| Bb4+ | 613 | 75.9% |
| Bd6 | 366 | 51.9% |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Elephant Trap?
A piece-winning trap in the Queen's Gambit Declined. After 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Nxd5??, Black plays 6...Nxd5 7...Bb4+, winning a piece. White loses the g5-bishop after being forced to give up the queen via Bxd8.
Why is it called the Elephant Trap?
The exact origin of the name is unclear, but it likely refers to the trap's deceptive simplicity — a lumbering piece (the knight) stepping on a hidden trigger. It has been known for over a century and is one of the most instructive examples of a 'free pawn' that isn't.
Does Black win a piece, or just the exchange?
A full piece. After Nxd5 Bxd8 Bb4+, White is forced to give up both queen and bishop in exchange for Black's queen — the net result is Black ahead by a minor piece.
How does White avoid the Elephant Trap?
Don't capture on d5 with the c3-knight while the bishop is still on g5. Play Nf3, e3, or Bf4 instead to develop normally. The d5-pawn isn't going anywhere, and the knight capture on move 6 is the specific blunder that triggers the trap.