Fool's Mate

Fool's mate is the shortest checkmate in chess: White weakens the king with the f- and g-pawns and Black's queen mates from h4 in two moves.

1h2g3f4e5d6c7b8a
Start
Pieces
Queen
Level
Beginner
Mating side
Black
Also known as
2 hamlede mat, en kısa mat, en hızlı mat, fool's mate

Moves

1.f3 e5 2.g4 Qh4#

White plays 1.f3 and 2.g4, opening the e1–h4 diagonal completely. Black's 1...e5 has freed the queen; 2...Qh4 gives check. The king has no square, nothing can block and the queen cannot be taken: checkmate.

Try it against the computerSolve puzzles

How to recognise Fool's Mate

  • It takes only 2 moves (4 plies); no checkmate in chess is faster.
  • The queen delivers mate along the h4–e1 diagonal.
  • The losing side has pushed both the f- and g-pawns in front of the king.

How to defend

  • Don't push the f- and g-pawns together in the opening; the king's diagonal opens.
  • Start with the centre pawns (e4, d4) and develop your pieces.
Fool's Mate: the final position

Frequently asked questions

How many moves is fool's mate?

Two moves: 1.f3 e5 2.g4 Qh4#. It is the shortest checkmate in chess.

Can White deliver fool's mate?

With the same idea White can mate on move three at the earliest, e.g. 1.e4 g5 2.d4 f6 3.Qh5#, because White moves first and Black must err twice.

Continue with lessons

Similar checkmate patterns

  • Scholar's Mate — Scholar's mate is a 4-move checkmate in which the queen and bishop attack f7 together.
  • Légal's Mate — In Légal's mate White deliberately gives up the queen; when Black takes it, the minor pieces mate the king.
  • Damiano's Mate — In Damiano's mate the queen checks on h7, supported by a pawn on g6.

← All checkmate tacticsNext: Scholar's Mate →