In my new book, Chess: Conquer your Friends with 8 Easy Principles, I give 8 high-impact Chess principles you can learn and apply in a short amount of time. Today, I’m going to talk about how to Checkmate your opponent in 4 moves.
Now, before you jump off your computer chair with the prospect of checkmating in 4 moves, I’m going to disappoint you. First, it only works against people who don’t know what they’re doing. If your friends don’t know how to play Chess, knowing any opening whatsoever gives you a major advantage. But, if your opponent even suspects you’re trying to 4-move checkmate, they can easily stop you. And you’ll be far worse off than if you had just opened normally.
Keep that in mind. Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
Step 1: Move your King Pawn Two Squares Up
You must be playing White for this to work. Move your Kingside Pawn (the pawn in front of the King) two squares up. As shown in the picture below, you’ll notice your Queen and Bishop are open to move out from behind the pawns.
The easy way to remember where they need to go is to remember they are attacking the pawn diagonal to the King. In notation, this is the square F7 and it is often called the F7 pawn (highlighted in red). If you’re going to win in 4 moves you need to attack the F7 pawn.
Step 2: Move your Bishop to Attack F7
Your second move takes your Bishop out. Again, attacking the F7.
Step 3: Move your Queen to a Position to Kill
In the picture below, notice both the Bishop and the Queen are attacking the same Pawn. When I say “attacking,” I mean pointed-toward, which is different from “killing” or “taking” which would be taking the piece off the board and taking its spot.
It’s also important to notice the only Black piece protecting the F7 pawn is the King. Look at Black’s Bishop, Knight, Rook and other Pawns. Even though they’re nearby, none of them protect it. Watch how White’s Queen takes advantage of that.
Step 4: Move the Queen into Checkmate
Now, move the Queen to take the F7 pawn. Checkmate. Notice the Black King can’t kill White’s Queen because she’s protected by the Bishop we set up earlier. Booyah.
Why you Shouldn’t Do it
Looks great, right? You win in four moves! Hold your horses. Here’s the thing about the 4-Move Checkmate. As mentioned earlier, if your opponent notices you’re doing it, it’s easy to stop. But even if your opponent doesn’t know you’re doing it, there’s still a good chance they’ll accidentally make one of a dozen common moves that will still prevent you from doing it.
Who cares? You care. I know it sounds lame, but if you pull your Queen out early and your opponent launches an attack on you, you’re toast. Your Queen is next to your King at the beginning of the game for a reason: she protects him.
It’s better to focus on a long-term strategy. In Chess: Conquer your Friends with 8 Easy Principles I explain 8 of the most important principles you can use today to ensure your success.
The 4-Move checkmate might work for a while, but eventually your friends will figure it out. You’ll win more if you take small steps to take the board and win!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVCZ-WvTnpI
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