How to stop Scholar's Mate: the three moves to know

Scholar's Mate is the four-move checkmate: White's queen and bishop both aim at f7, the square next to Black's king that only the king defends, and the queen takes on f7 with mate. It only works if you let it. Stopping it takes three accurate moves, each one answering the threat White has just made, and after them Black has a perfectly normal game.

The line

The usual move order starts 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5. The queen attacks the pawn on e5 straight away, and f7 after that.

After 2.Qh5. Black to move.

First move: 2...Nc6

2...Nc6 defends e5 and develops a piece. 2...d6 is also good.

The natural mistake is 2...g6??, meant to chase the queen away. It doesn't: 3.Qxe5+ takes the pawn with check and attacks the rook on h8 at the same time. After 3...Qe7 4.Qxh8 the rook is gone.

After 2.Qh5. Step through 2...g6?? to see what it loses.

In rated online games in our library, 5% of players who faced 2.Qh5 played 2...g6??

Second move: 3.Bc4 g6

3.Bc4 brings the bishop to bear on f7 as well: two attackers, and only the king defends it. Now 3...g6 is right. The knight on c6 protects e5, so the queen has nothing to take and has to move. 3...Qe7 and 3...Qf6 also hold.

The natural mistake is 3...Nf6??, developing with an attack on the queen. It ignores the threat: 4.Qxf7 is mate.

After 3.Bc4. Step through 3...Nf6?? to see the mate.

Third move: 4.Qf3 Nf6

The queen goes to f3 and aims at f7 again, together with the bishop. 4...Nf6 blocks the f-file and develops a piece. 4...Qe7 and 4...Qf6 also hold.

The trap this time is 4...Nd4??. It attacks the queen and the pawn on c2, which looks strong, but White doesn't need to move the queen: 5.Qxf7 is mate.

After 4.Qf3. Step through 4...Nd4?? to see the mate.

After 4...Nf6 the mating threats are over. Both of Black's knights are out, and White's queen has used three moves to get nowhere; now it's White who has to be careful, because ...Nd4 is coming. When Scholar's Mate fails is the same position from White's side.

The other move order: 2.Bc4 first

White can bring the bishop out first: 1.e4 e5 2.Bc4. The simplest answer is 2...Nf6, which attacks e4 and covers h5, so the queen can't come out there.

If Black plays 2...d6 instead, 3.Qh5 attacks f7 twice. 3...g6 holds (so do 3...Qe7 and 3...Qf6), and 3...Nf6?? is the same mate as before.

After 2.Bc4 d6 3.Qh5. Step through 3...Nf6?? to see the mate.

In rated online games in our library, 7% of players who reached this position played 3...Nf6??

The idea to remember

Every time White's queen moves, ask what it attacks now, and look at f7 first. Answer the threat before you develop, and remember that a move attacking the queen is no help if the queen can mate first.

Train it

This is one of the opening traps OptiChess teaches as a play-through: the moves play themselves until White makes a threat, then you find the defence. The habit behind it, asking "if I play this, what does my opponent have?" before every move, is the blunder check.

Try it. Real positions, set at your level, every answer checked against the board. No account needed to start.

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