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Scholar's mate: checkmate in four moves

Lesson 16 of 20 Age 7+ Time 15 minutes Before this fool's mate

In short

Scholar's mate is a checkmate in four moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5 Nf6 4. Qxf7, checkmate. The queen and bishop both attack f7, the weak square next to the black king. To stop it, guard f7 or block the queen: 3... g6, 3... Qe7 or 3... Qf6.

  • f7 (and f2 for White) is guarded only by the king at the start.
  • Against a player who knows it, an early queen gets chased and loses time.
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Scholar's mate: the queen takes on f7, protected by the bishop.

Teach it

  1. DoSet up the start position and play: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5 Nf6.
  2. Ask“Which square do my queen and bishop both attack?”
  3. Child“f7!”
  4. DoPlay Qxf7.
  5. Say“Checkmate in four moves. It's called scholar's mate.”
  6. Say“Now let's stop it. After Qh5, Black plays g6, or Qe7, and f7 is safe.”
Hand the screen to your child

Your turn!

White to move. Your queen and bishop aim at one square. Find checkmate.

Three quick questions

  1. Which square do the queen and bishop attack?

  2. How can Black stop it?

  3. Should you bring your queen out early every game?

Practice sheet: Scholar's mate

One page, free to print, no sign-in. The answers print on the next page.

Scholar's mateName ____________________
  1. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    White to move. Find checkmate.

  2. a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1

    Black to move. Name one move that stops the mate on f7.

Answers: Scholar's mate

  1. Queen takes f7.
  2. g6, Qe7 or Qf6.

Questions parents ask

How do you win at chess in 4 moves?

With scholar's mate: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5 Nf6 4. Qxf7 checkmate. It works only if the other player doesn't defend f7.

How do I stop scholar's mate?

When the queen comes to h5 or f3, guard f7: play g6 to block the queen, or Qe7 or Qf6 to guard the square. Then attack the queen with your knights and bishops.

Rules checked against FIDE Laws of Chess, taking effect from 1 January 2023 (Article 5.1) on . Found something to fix? Tell us on the contact page.