Use Fools Mate to Fool Your Mates

Everyone hears about Fools Mate and Scholar's Mate when they start off playing chess. You've started to learn some strategy, let's talk about some quick checkmates. People will say to you that they know this great way to win a game of chess in two moves or in four moves.


Well it's true, it's perfectly possible. You can win or lose a chess game in two moves or in four moves. It must be said that in order to lose like this you must play some very weak moves. These ploys are easy to defend against and to prevent.


I'm going to show you the two move game, Fools Mate and the four move game, Scholar's Mate. After today you should never be beaten this way.

The diagram shows you the tragic demise of White after two disastrous moves. Yes the game is over already and this sequence of moves has been dubbed Fool's Mate because only a fool would play the moves White has played. The move order is 1.f3 e5 2.g4 Qh4#. There is no good reason for White to play these moves.

A weak excuse can be made for 1.f3 in that it potentially supports it's neighboring pawn when it is theoretically played to e4 at a later stage. It doesn't aid development of the back row pieces. Indeed it actually takes away a great square, f3, from the Kingside Knight. And the center can be just as easily supported by numerous other means.

2.g4 in this position is a move that no sane person would play. It achieves only a rapid defeat. It seals the King's fate by allowing the Black Queen to swoop for a completely unearned checkmate on h4. Now you know, don't let it happen to you.

Scholar's Mate also known as the four move checkmate takes place by White mating the Black king in four moves. It is quite primitive and easily defended. However if the player with the Black pieces doesn't know what he's doing then he is vulnerable to this basic plan.

Black's three moves in this sequence are not restricted to any rigid order. As far as White is concerned, as long as Black does not play certain sound defensive moves, then White's four moves will work.

So Black does not have to play quite as dumb as White did for the two move checkmate. He just has to be not paying attention. The move order can be 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.Qh5 Nf6 4.Qf7#.

I hope you are now immune to the 'dangers' of these primitive tactics. Don't let me down by falling victim to them. You can see both of these mates analyzed in detail.


You really shouldn't be tempted to play Scholar's Mate by the lure of quick and easy wins. You don't learn anything new by repeating the sequence over and over again. You'll win a few games in four moves. So what? It's a poor opening and if Black responds properly you will be on the end of a hiding.


These lessons are a strategy primer. Think of your investigation of these basic mating procedures as your first tentative steps along the learning curve of basic checkmates.