Editing Fool's mate (section)

==Variations==
Mating patterns similar to fool's mate can occur early in the game. Such patterns in historical games illustrate the weakness along the e1–h4 and e8–h5 diagonals early in the game. White can mate Black using a pattern that resembles fool's mate, though it takes at least an extra turn.

===White to mate in three moves===
{{Chess diagram
| tright
|
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|  |  |pd
|  |  |  |  |  |pd|  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |pd|  
|  |  |  |pl|pl|  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl
|A problem with White to mate instead, given by Fischer and Polgár.
}}

White can achieve a checkmate similar to fool's mate.  When the roles are reversed, however, White requires an extra third turn or half-move, known in [[computer chess]] as a [[Ply (game theory)|ply]].  In both cases, the principle is the same: a player advances their f- and g-pawns such that the opponent's queen can mate along the unblocked diagonal. A board position illustrating White's version of fool's mate—with White to mate—was given as a problem in ''[[Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess]]'', and also as an early example in a compendium of problems by [[László Polgár]].<ref name="Polgár">{{cite book |last=Polgár |first=László  |title=Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games |year=1994 |publisher=Tess Press |page=57 |isbn=9781579121303}}  Problem No. 14.</ref> The solution in Fischer's book bore the comment "Black foolishly weakened his King's defenses. This game took three moves!!"<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fischer |first1=Bobby |last2=Margulies |first2=Stuart |last3=Mosenfelder |first3=Donn |title=Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess |year=1972 |publisher=Bantam |pages=95–96 |isbn=9780553263152}} Problem No. 73.</ref>  One possible sequence leading to the position is '''1. e4 g5 2. d4 f6{{chesspunc|??}} 3. Qh5{{chessAN|#}}'''. 

A possibly apocryphal variant of the fool's mate has been reported by several sources.  The 1959 game '''1. e4 g5 2. Nc3 f5?? 3. Qh5#''' has been attributed to Masefield and Trinka, although the first player's name has also been reported as Mayfield or Mansfield and the second player's name as Trinks or Trent.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mike Fox and Richard James |title=The Even More Complete Chess Addict |publisher=Faber and Faber |year=1993 |pages=177}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Winter, Edward |author-link=Edward G. Winter |title=Chess Facts and Fables |publisher=McFarland & Co. |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-7864-2310-1 |pages=253–254}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4491._Rousseau_and_chess_C.N.s_4401_ |title=Chess Notes 4493. Short game |author=Edward G. Winter |author-link=Edward G. Winter |date=August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter25.html#4503._N_for_knight |title=Chess Notes 4506. Short game (C.N. 4493) |author=Edward G. Winter |author-link=Edward G. Winter |date=August 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1= Averbakh |first1= Yuri Lvovich |last2= Beilin |first2= Mikhail Abramovich |author-link=Yuri Averbakh |script-title=ru:Путешествие в шахматное королевство |year = 1972 |publisher = Fizkultura i sport |language = ru |page = 227}}</ref> Further, a similar mate can occur in [[Bird's Opening#From's Gambit|From's Gambit]]: '''1. f4 e5 2. g3{{chesspunc|?}} exf4 {{nowrap|3. gxf4?? Qh4#}}'''.

There are other possible three-move mates for White, such as '''1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Ke7?? 3. Qxe5#'''. The total number is 347.<ref>{{cite web |title=A079485 - OEIS |url=https://oeis.org/A079485 |website=The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>

Even if White has a [[Handicap (chess)|handicap]] of queen odds, there is a possible three-move mate for White, such as '''1. e4 f6 2. Be2 g5?? 3. Bh5#'''.

{{Chess diagram
| tright
|
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|  |  |pd
|  |  |  |  |  |pd|  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |pd|bl
|  |  |  |  |pl|  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|  |pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|bl|  |kl|  |nl|rl
|White with queen odds checkmates in three moves.
}}

===Black to mate in three moves===

If the typical fool's mate setup is played, except White plays h3 instead of g4, a similar forced mate can result: 2... Qh4+ 3. g3 Qxg3#. Like fool's mate, there are eight distinct ways for this to happen.

===Teed vs. Delmar===
{{Chess diagram
| tright
| Teed vs. Delmar, 1896
|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|  
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |rd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |pd|pd
|  |  |  |pl|  |pd|  |  
|  |  |  |bl|pl|  |bl|  
|pl|pl|pl|  |  |pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|  |ql|kl|  |nl|rl
| After 6...Rh6?? White mates in two moves.
}}
A well-known {{chessgloss|trap}} in the [[Dutch Defence]] occurred in the game Frank Melville Teed–[[Eugene Delmar]], 1896:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1242990|title=Teed vs. Delmar|website=[[Chessgames.com]]|access-date=December 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter26.html#4559._Definitions_by_Koltanowski|title=Chess Notes 4561. 1 d4 f5 2 Bg5|author=Edward G. Winter|author-link=Edward G. Winter|date=September 3, 2006}}</ref>

:'''1. d4 f5 2. Bg5 h6 3. Bh4 g5 4. Bg3 f4'''
It seems that Black has won the [[bishop (chess)|bishop]], but now comes ...

:'''5. e3'''
Threatening Qh5#.

:'''5... h5 6. Bd3{{chesspunc|?!}}'''
Probably better is 6.Be2, but the move played sets a trap.

:'''6... Rh6{{chesspunc|??}}'''
Defending against Bg6#, but ...

:'''7. Qxh5+{{chesspunc|!}}'''
White sacrifices his queen to draw the black rook away from its control of g6.

:'''7... Rxh5 8. Bg6#'''
{{clear}}

===Greco vs. NN===
{{Chess diagram
 |tright
 |Greco vs. {{chessgloss|NN}}
 |rd|nd|  |qd|kd|bd|  |rd
 |pd|  |pd|pd|pd|  |  |pl
 |  |pd|  |  |  |  |bl|  
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |nd
 |  |  |  |pl|  |  |  |  
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
 |pl|pl|pl|  |  |pl|bd|pl
 |rl|nl|bl|  |kl|  |nl|rl
 |Final position after 8.Bg6#
}}

A similar trap occurred in a game published by [[Gioachino Greco]] in 1625:

:'''1. e4 b6'''
:'''2. d4 Bb7'''
:'''3. Bd3 f5?'''
:'''4. exf5 Bxg2?'''
:'''5. Qh5+ g6'''
:'''6. fxg6 Nf6??'''
Opening up a [[flight square]] for the king at f8 with 6...Bg7 would have prolonged the game. White still wins with 7.Qf5! Nf6 8.Bh6 Bxh6 9.gxh7 Bxh1 (9...e6 opens another flight square at e7; then White checks with 10.Qg6+ Ke7) 10.Qg6+ Kf8 11.Qxh6+ Kf7 12.Nh3, but much slower than in the game.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lev Alburt |title=Chess Openings for White, Explained |publisher=Chess Information Research Center |year=2011 |page=509}}</ref>
:'''7. gxh7+! Nxh5''' 
:'''8. Bg6{{chessAN|#}}'''
{{clear}}