What is the scholar’s mate in chess and how can you avoid it?

As one of the basic checkmates that can emerge from the early play in chess, the scholar’s mate is a common beginners’ trap and a great source of embarrassment.

Here’s how to spot it before disaster strikes and the principles you need to pay attention to so that you never fall into it again.

What is the scholar’s mate?

Also known as the four-move checkmate, the scholar’s mate is one of the fastest ways to win (or lose) a chess game. It was first recorded as far back as 1956 and it’s been the bane of amateur players ever since.

The position can emerge from a few different move orders, but the basic idea is the same: White’s bishop on c4 and the queen on h5 target the f7 pawn to devastating effect, and the careless Black player lets the queen capture it, leading to checkmate. Here’s a simple example:

1. e4 e5

2. Qh5 Nc6

3. Bc4 Nf6

4. Qxf7#

This is what the end result looks like (tears from the losing player not included):

Though the scholar’s mate is easy to avoid once you know that it’s coming, it may take a few losses to internalize the lesson. Here are a few tips to speed up this process and to save you some rating points.

How to avoid the scholar’s mate

Keep an eye on f7 at all times

The pawn on f7 is always the weakest in your position early on because it is only protected by the king. It is therefore often a target of tactical tricks in the opening. Always calculate whether it can be captured and protect it efficiently if there’s any threat.

Learn the basic opening principles

White violates multiple rules to set up this dodgy checkmate attack. If the queen comes out on the second move, Nf6 develops with tempo, forcing White to move away. If Bc4 is played first, then the threat of Qh5 can again be met with g6, then Bg7 for natural piece development.

If White keeps pressing the issue by moving back to f3, Nf6 is a natural response, with castling to follow. When the scholar’s mate fails, White is left with a misplaced queen and an underdeveloped knight, which is why it is never seen even at intermediate levels of play.

Play a different opening

You can choose a response other than e5 to throw your opponent off their game. Nf6, d5, e6, and c5 are prime candidates and are each strong openings in their own right.