Use the Scholar's Mate in Chess
For newcomers to chess, there are few opening strategies more popular or well-known than the scholar’s mate. The quickest possible checkmate for the white player, the scholar’s mate relies heavily on the black player’s reactions. Fortunately with some luck and a few simple steps, you’ll have a checkmate in no more than four turns.
Contents
Steps
Performing the Scholar’s Mate
- Begin with your pawn from e2 to e4. A classic move which many starting strategies include, moving that pawn opens up your queen and bishop for use. The key to the scholar’s mate is tempting your opponent with the seemingly careless use of your own queen. Provided they respond with certain predictable moves, you can perform the shortest checkmate possible for white.
- Ideally you’ll be playing against a beginner, as the scholar’s mate is a fairly noticeable strategy; the moves even owe their namesake to their usefulness for new learners playing against others who are learning.
- The first desired response will be for your opponent to move his pawn to e5. This opens the black queen, king and bishop to capture.
- Move your queen from d1 to h5. As stated, the queen is the centerpiece of the offensive strategy of the scholar’s mate. In fact it is the only piece that moves twice in this short, four-turn checkmate. The queen’s movement here will prompt a response from your opponent which will only draw him closer to checkmate.
- The feint here is to draw your opponent’s attention to the pawn now in danger of being captured by your queen.
- The response which the scholar’s mate requires is for the opponent to move his knight to c6, to cover for a potentially captured pawn.
- Move your bishop at f1 to c4. While not an obvious move at first (an advantage for yourself), the bishop’s movement here is setting up for the eventual checkmate. It will cover f7, where the white queen will move next to complete the checkmate. Fortunately this move seems weak out of context; it doesn’t threaten any unprotected pieces nor does it set up an obvious play.
- For the scholar’s mate to continue smoothly, your opponent should play his other knight from g8 to f6, in anticipation of taking your unprotected pawn at e5.
- Move your queen to f7 and declare checkmate. With this the trap is set and sprung. The queen is adjacent to your opponent’s king, and the king himself cannot capture the queen without moving into check. Sit back and enjoy your victory, and perhaps share with your opponent the quick and deadly scholar’s mate.
Defending Against the Scholar’s Mate
- Respond to the opening move. If you’re especially wary of the scholar’s mate, or know for certain that it is something your opponent will attempt, you can use the french defense by responding with a pawn to e6. By not extending the pawn to e5 you close down any defense the white’s bishop would have provided for the white queen.
- Responding with the french defense will shut down any scholar’s mate, but it will force you to use more advance techniques going forward. For beginners it’s recommended to respond as expected, with a pawn to e5.
- Reacting as you know your opponent would like you to is generally very useful, as it places them under a false sense of security, distracting them from considering other options.
- Play your knight to c6. Continue to play into the scholar’s mate as a continuation of the feint. In any case, playing another more interruptive move would leave your pawn defenseless at e5. Positioning your knight in this case is just as much about protecting that pawn as it is about baiting the scholar’s mate.
- Play your pawn to g6. If your opponent continues with the scholar’s mate, they would have moved their bishop to c4 in response to the previous move. Alternatively your opponent might delay their strategy a bit by moving their pawn to c4 instead. In either case, moving your pawn to g6 will effectively disable the four-move scholar’s mate.
- Moving your pawn to g6 blocks the white queen’s path forward. Your opponent can no longer take your pawn at f7 and thus you avoid the checkmate entirely.
- Move your knight to f6. The conventional response to the previous step will be for your opponent to withdraw their queen to f3. After this move, your pawn at f7 will be threatened both by the opposing queen and bishop at c4. Bringing your knight forward for defense is the safest way to protect this pawn.
- Your queen will cover your knight from capture by the opponent’s queen, and your pawn is safe from their bishop, who would now be undefended if it tried to perform a capture.
- Continue the game. Once your opponent’s scholar’s mate has been disabled, they’ll be at a general disadvantage as they’ve set their board for a certain strategy that has failed. In general once you’ve avoided the scholar’s mate you’ll have considerable control of the game.
- Consider castling your king shortly after moving your knight to f6. Strengthening your defense is a strategic choice when your opponent has over-committed to an opening strategy.
Warnings
- This is a one-shot attempt at winning. Using the scholar’s mate offensively demands your opponent respond with certain moves. As shown, one or two moves will shut down the scholar’s mate, with no alternative available.
- Chess players who let their queen get chased around the board are completely foolish as Black addresses the center in classic Ruy Lopez stratagems of linked counter-attacks and the further king-side fianchetto, which is fairly normal to castle within. This opening is not played for White by Masters typically. Assuming your opponent is a fool is risky, when a far better strategy is to develop fairly evenly, given that as white, you have the initiative anyway.Intermediate and beginning players who bring out their queen early often lose her, disgracefully, to a far lesser piece in counter-play.
Things You'll Need
- Chess board.
- Chess pieces.
- An opponent.
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Sources and Citations
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