As a tournament chess player, particularly a junior player, sooner or later you're going to run into the scholar's mate. Every year, someone on my team falls for this little trap even though I do my best to warn my students ahead of time. If you don't want to become one of the countless players to lose to the Scholar's Mate, then read on.
The Scholar's Mate is also known as the four-move checkmate, and it arises from the Bishop's Opening: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4.
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| Diagram 1. The Bishop's Opening after 2.Bc4 |
The problems for black begin when he responds symmetrically with 2...Bc5. White then plays 3.Qh5?! hoping to trap the unwary player. Study this position carefully, as there are several bad moves and really only one reasonable "save".
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| Diagram 2. After 3.Qh5, white sets up the Scholar's Mate |
Let's look at the mistakes first. A common reply is 3...Nf6?? which, unfortunately for black, loses instantly to 4.Qxf7#.
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| Diagram 3. Checkmate! |
Another blunder after 3.Qh5 (diagram 2) is 3...g6. This move does stop the checkmate by blocking the queen's attack on the f7 pawn, but it still loses significant material after 4.Qxe5+!
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| Diagram 4. There is no way to save the h8 rook |
The best saving move after the position in diagram 2 is 3...Qe7, after which black may still be able to put up a fight. But the best approach when you're playing black is to remember this simple idea. When the white bishop lands on c4 (diagram 1), don't "mirror" by bringing your bishop to c5. Instead, bring the knight to f6 immediately. This takes away the h5 square from black's queen, and black should be able to develop naturally.
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| Diagram 5. 2...Nf6 is the best response. |
Every year I teach this opening, and every year it inspires some of my players to use it as white against unwary opponents. Some feel this is a dirty trick, and while I don't necessarily think that's the case I do try to discourage my players from using it. The reason is that playing for this kind of win teaches nothing about the principals and strategies of chess. You're either going to catch some unwary player with the trap, or you're not. It's far better for beginners to learn to develop their pieces and follow sound opening principals, even if it means a few less wins. Over time, the extra losses you experience early will lead to more learning and more "quality" wins later on.
