Magnus Smith Trap
B57 · Played as white · Intermediate · Traps & Tricks
The Dragon fianchetto is one move too early and the queen falls
The main line
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Bc4 g6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5 dxe5 9.Bxf7+ Kxf7 10.Qxd8
Strategic ideas
- Play the Sozin setup with Bc4 against the Sicilian, eyeing f7
- Punish an early …g6 while the f6-knight is still pinned to nothing but the d8-queen
- Trade on c6 to wreck the structure and open the a2–g8 diagonal
- Push e5 to deflect the f6-knight away from defending the h5–e8 diagonal
- Finish with Bxf7+ and Qxd8, winning the queen for two minor pieces
Key themes
- Tactics — A four-move forcing sequence that turns a normal-looking Dragon into a lost position
- Attack — Everything points at f7 from move six — the Sozin bishop does all the work
- King Safety — Black fianchettoes to make the king safe and gets it dragged out before it ever castles
Typical plans
Named after a Canadian master, this is the reason Dragon players are careful about move orders. With the bishop on c4 in the Sozin setup, Black's natural …g6 is a move too soon: White plays Nxc6 to damage the structure, then e5! to deflect the f6-knight, and Bxf7+ drags the king out so Qxd8 wins the queen. It's a clean, forcing sequence, and the whole thing is prevented by playing …Bg7 or …a6 first. Every trap here is really a lesson about move order.
Move by move
- e4 — White claims the centre.
- c5 — Black answers asymmetrically with the Sicilian.
- Nf3 — White develops, attacking c5.
- Nc6 — Black develops, controlling d4.
- d4 — White opens the centre.
- cxd4 — Black takes toward the centre with tempo.
- Nxd4 — White recaptures with the knight.
- Nf6 — Black develops and hits e4.
- Nc3 — White defends e4 and develops.
- d6 — Black shores up the centre.
- Bc4 — White plays the Sozin bishop to c4. It's aimed straight at f7, and everything that follows runs through that square.
- g6 — Black starts the Dragon fianchetto. It's completely natural and it's the losing move — …a6 or …Bg7 first was essential.
- Nxc6 — White trades on c6, damaging the structure and, crucially, removing a defender.
- bxc6 — Black must recapture with the b-pawn; …Bxc6 loses the exchange on a8 after e5.
- e5 — White pushes e5, attacking the f6-knight — the only piece guarding the h5–e8 diagonal and d5.
- dxe5 — Black takes, since moving the knight allows Bxf7+ anyway.
- Bxf7+ — White plays Bxf7+, dragging the king out.
- Kxf7 — Black must take.
- Qxd8 — White takes the queen — and there's no recapture, because the c8-bishop blocks the rook's path to d8. Black has a bishop for the queen, a king stranded on f7 and wrecked queenside pawns. The game is effectively over on move ten.