Fool's mate

Fool's Mate, also known as the Two-Move Checkmate, is the quickest possible checkmate in chess. A prime example consists of the moves:

1. f3 e5 2. g4 Qh4#

leading to the position shown. (The pattern can have slight variations – White might play f2–f4 instead of f2–f3 or move the g-pawn before the f-pawn, and Black might play e7–e6 instead of e7–e5.)

Contents
This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Details

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Fool's Mate – White is checkmated

Fool's Mate received its name because it can only occur if White plays extraordinarily weakly (i.e., like a fool). Even among rank beginners, the mate almost never occurs in practice.

The same basic mating pattern can also occur later in the game. For instance, there is a well-known trap in the Dutch Defence which occurred in the 1896 game Frank Melville Teed vs. Eugene Delmar:

1. d4 f5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bf4 g5 4. Bg3 f4

It seems that Black has won the bishop, but now comes ...

5. e3

Threatening Qh5#, a basic Fool's Mate.

5... h5 6. Bd3?!

6.Be2 is probably better, but the move played sets a trap.

6... Rh6?

Defending against Bg6#, but ...

7. Qxh5+! Rxh5 8.Bg6#[1]

A similar mate can occur in From's Gambit: 1. f4 e5 2. g3 exf4 3. gxf4?? Qh4#

More generally, the term Fool's Mate is applied to all similar mates early in the game. For example, in 1. e4 g5 2. d4 f6 3. Qh5#, the basic Fool's Mate pattern is maintained: a player advances his f- and g-pawns, which permit a queen to mate along the unblocked diagonal. One such Fool's Mate is widely reported to have occurred in a possibly apocryphal 1959 game between Masefield (or Mayfield, depending on the source consulted) and Trinka (or Trinks or Trent) which lasted just three moves: 1. e4 g5 2. Nc3 f5 3. Qh5#[2][3][4][5]

Even more generally, the term Fool's Mate is used in chess variants for the shortest possible mate, especially those which bear a resemblance to the orthodox chess Fool's Mate. For example, Fool's Mate in Progressive chess is: 1. e4 2. f6 g5 3. Qh5#

Similar trap

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Greco vs. NN, final position

A similar trap once occurred in a game between Gioachino Greco and an anonymous opponent:

1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 f5? 4. exf5 Bxg2 5. Qh5+ g6 6. fxg6 Nf6??

Now 6...Bg7! would have allowed the game to continue, as the move opens up a flight square for the king at f8. But Black's greed has gotten the better of him.

7. gxh7+ Nxh5 8. Bg6#

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Teed vs. Delmar
  2. ^ Mike Fox and Richard James (1993). The Even More Complete Chess Addict. Faber and Faber. pp. 177. 
  3. ^ Winter, Edward (2005). Chess Facts and Fables. McFarland & Co.. pp. 253–254. ISBN 978-0786423101. 
  4. ^ Edward G. Winter (August 2006). "Chess Notes 4493. Short game". http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4491._Rousseau_and_chess_C.N.s_4401_. 
  5. ^ Edward G. Winter (August 2006). "Chess Notes 4506. Short game (C.N. 4493)". http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4503._N_for_knight. 

References