The Elephant Trap
A classic Queen's Gambit Declined trap that punishes White for an early bishop pin with a devastating piece win.
Published 2026-02-01 | Last verified 2026-02-12
Professor Archer says: The Elephant Trap is one of the oldest tricks in the Queen's Gambit Declined, and yet it continues to claim victims at every level of club chess. I have seen players rated 1800 walk right into it because the winning move for Black is counter-intuitive. You have to be willing to let a piece hang temporarily to spring the trap, and that goes against every beginner instinct.
What Is the Elephant Trap?
The Elephant Trap arises from the Queen's Gambit Declined after 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7. This is all standard theory so far. The trap springs when White plays 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Nxd5, thinking they can safely capture the d5 pawn.
After 6. Nxd5 Nxd5! 7. Bxd8, White believes they are winning the queen. But Black plays 7...Bb4+ and after 8. Qd2 Bxd2+ 9. Kxd2 Kxd8, Black has won a full piece. The sequence works because Black's bishop check forces a queen trade, and Black recaptures the queen on d8.
The name "Elephant Trap" comes from the large, obvious piece that White thinks they are winning (the queen), when in reality they are the one losing material. The trap is elegant because every move in the sequence appears natural for both sides.
The Critical Position
After 4. Bg5, White pins the knight on f6 against the queen. This is a standard and good idea in the Queen's Gambit Declined. Black develops with 4...Nbd7, which is the most popular response.
The trap unfolds when White gets greedy after the pawn exchange on d5. The key is that after Nxd5 Nxd5 Bxd8, the bishop check on b4 combined with the queen exchange leaves Black up a piece in the final position.
After 4...Nbd7 - the Elephant Trap is set in the Queen's Gambit Declined.
How White Should Avoid the Trap
The solution is simple: do not play Nxd5 after the pawn exchange. Instead, White should continue with normal development. After 5. cxd5 exd5, White should play 6. e3, 6. Qc2, or 6. Nf3 rather than grabbing the d5 pawn with the knight.
The Queen's Gambit Declined gives White a solid positional advantage when played correctly. There is no need to grab pawns in the center when natural development achieves the same goals safely. The Elephant Trap punishes greed, and the antidote is patience.
Remember: just because a pawn appears undefended does not mean capturing it is safe. Always look for your opponent's tactical resources before snatching material, especially in well-known opening positions where traps are common.
Elephant Trap FAQ
Is the Elephant Trap still relevant in modern chess?
Absolutely. While top players know to avoid it, the trap catches club players regularly. It appears in thousands of online games every month because the capturing sequence looks so natural for White.
Can White vary the move order to avoid the trap?
Yes. White can play Nf3 before Bg5, or choose different move orders in the Queen's Gambit. But the fundamental lesson remains: do not capture Nxd5 in this specific position.
Professor Archer says: What I love about the Elephant Trap is that it teaches a deep tactical principle: sometimes the best move is the one that temporarily worsens your position. Black plays a move that looks like it loses a piece, but the geometry of the position turns it into a piece win. Always calculate to the end before dismissing a candidate move.
Quick Quiz
In the Elephant Trap, after 6. Nxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxd8, what is Black's winning move?
- Bb4+, winning back the queen through a forced sequence (Correct) - Correct. Bb4+ forces Qd2 (or another block), and after Bxd2+ Kxd2 Kxd8, Black has won a piece. The bishop check is the key tactical resource that makes the entire trap work.
- Kxd8, simply recapturing the queen - While Kxd8 recaptures the queen, it leaves Black down a knight after the Nxd5 exchange. The point of the Elephant Trap is that Bb4+ first forces an additional queen trade, leaving Black ahead in material.
- Nc3+, forking the king and rook - The knight is on d5, not a square from which it can deliver a useful fork. The winning move is Bb4+, which creates the forced sequence that wins material.
- f6, trapping the bishop on d8 - While creative, f6 does not trap the bishop (it can still escape). The clean winning move is Bb4+ which forces a sequence ending with Black up a full piece.