OPENING TRAP
Légal's Mate: Give up your queen, then mate with minor pieces
The Légal's Mate is a trap in the Philidor Defence. Give up your queen, then mate with minor pieces. Checkmate on move 7, with a queen sacrificed on the way.
The moves
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Bg4 4. Nc3 g6 5. Nxe5! Bxd1 6. Bxf7+ Ke7 7. Nd5#
The final position is checkmate.
- 1. e4 The usual first move: it claims the centre.
- 1... e5 Black mirrors your move.
- 2. Nf3 You develop with a threat on e5.
- 2... d6 Black defends e5 with the Philidor setup.
- 3. Bc4 The bishop looks at f7, the weak spot near the black king.
- 3... Bg4 Black pins your knight to your queen. It feels safe, but your knight is not really stuck.
- 4. Nc3 A calm developing move that adds control of d5, which you will use later.
- 4... g6 A careless move. It does nothing about the pawn on e5 or the pressure on f7.
- 5. Nxe5! The bait. You let Black take your queen. The knight takes e5 and the pin does not matter.
- 5... Bxd1 Black grabs the queen. Greedy, and it falls straight into the trap.
- 6. Bxf7+ Check! The bishop takes f7 and the king has only one move.
- 6... Ke7 The only legal move: the king steps to e7.
- 7. Nd5# Nd5 is checkmate. Bishop and two knights cover every escape square, and Black’s own pieces block the rest.
How to avoid it
As Black, do not pin the knight and take the queen without checking Bxf7+. Develop with 4...Nf6 or 4...Nc6 instead.
Practise it
In Trap Academy you watch this lesson, then play the White side yourself against the replies of the trap. This trap is free.
Add to Chrome — freeFrequently asked questions
What is the Légal's Mate?
- Give up your queen, then mate with minor pieces. It arises in the Philidor Defence. Checkmate on move 7, with a queen sacrificed on the way.
How do you avoid the Légal's Mate?
- As Black, do not pin the knight and take the queen without checking Bxf7+. Develop with 4...Nf6 or 4...Nc6 instead.