Chessis currently in the middle of its third boom in popularity in recent years. The ancient sport had its first popularity boom during COVID lockdowns when many people, including prominent streamers, took the game up as a pastime, and the second boom came shortly after the hit Netflix showThe Queen’s Gambit.
RELATED:Famous Chess Games Every Beginner Should Study
Unfortunately, the current third boom isn’t as flattering for the sport, as the spike in popularity and attention has come from an ongoing cheating scandal. Magnus Carlsen has accused Hans Niemann of cheating, a claim that Chess.com have supported with a72-page report where it’s claimed that Niemann “has likely cheated over 100 times.” Hans Niemann admitted to cheating online in the past but claims to have never cheated over the board, despite Magnus' very public accusation.
With these three popularity booms having brought millions of new players to chess, we’ve decided to make a guide on one of the most crucial opening traps that beginners need to learn: the Scholar’s Mate.
What Is The Scholar’s Mate
The Scholar’s Mate is anopening in chessthat, if executed correctly, can end the game in just four moves. As such, it is imperative that beginners learn the opening to ensure that they never fall victim to an embarrassingly quick defeat. As shown in the image above, the Scholar’s Mate is executed by White with their light-squared bishop and queen working together to checkmate Black’s King on the f7 square.
The image above shows a common Scholar’s Mate position, which has been reached by:
- e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5 Bc5
It is now White’s turn, who can checkmate their opponent with 4. Qxf7#.
The Scholar’s Mate can also be performed with White’s queen being moved to the f3 square, though this can be blocked by Black with the developing move Nf6. Although it’s tempting to play the Scholar’s Mate, it’s not advisable to do so, as White will be left in a lackluster position if their opponent knows how to defend against the opening trap effectively.
How To Defend Against The Scholar’s Mate
Black can defend the Scholar’s Mate with their queen; however,it’s generally a bad idea to bring the queen out too early in chess, as it’s easy for the opponent to attack and gain tempo. Instead, as shown in the image above, Black can play g6, which forces the queen to move. This is far from ideal for White, as moving the same piece twice in the opening, especially the queen, often gives the opponent the chance to get ahead in the development of their pieces.
After playing g6, Black shouldn’t think that their job is done, as White can move their queen to f3, which, once again, threatens checkmate on the f7 square. However, Black has a great move that they can play here: Nf6.
This move blocks the checkmate and develops a piece.The game is far from over, but in this position, Black has successfully defended against the Scholar’s Mate, while developing their pieces better than White.
