Philidor Hanham Trap
The Hanham Trap in the Philidor Defense: the natural 4...Be7? loses a pawn to 5.dxe5, and recapturing with the pawn loses a piece to Qd5.
The Hanham setup with ...Nd7 keeps the centre closed but leaves f7 weak for one move. Black has to get the move order exactly right.
How the Philidor Hanham Trap works
Click a card to see it on the board, then play the punishment yourself.
How often does it work?
Counted in real rated Lichess games, not estimated.
| Rating | Reached the position | Played 4...Be7? | Fall rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900–2100 | 105 games | 22 | 21% |
Sample: up to 1,000,000 rated Lichess games per rating band (May 2024), same move order only.
Among players rated 1800 and higher, 4...Be7? was played in 7,111 of the games our puzzles are drawn from. Strong players fall for it too.
How to avoid the Philidor Hanham Trap
What Black should play instead.
Other versions of the trap
The same idea from a different move order.
Now spot it in a real game
Knowing a trap by name is not the same as seeing it at the board. Solve positions from real games until the pattern fires by itself.
Philidor Hanham Trap
Getting there…After 4...Be7 5.dxe5 Black has no good recapture. 5...Nxe5 6.Nxe5 dxe5 7.Qh5 attacks f7 and e5 at once and wins a pawn. The alternative 5...dxe5 is worse, as the next card shows.