Légal's Mate

In Légal's mate White deliberately gives up the queen; when Black takes it, the minor pieces mate the king. It is named after the 18th-century French master Sire de Légal.

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Pieces: Bishop + two knights
Level: Intermediate
Mating side: White
Also known as: légal mate, legal tuzağı, vezir fedası ile mat

Moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 4.Nc3 g6 5.Nxe5 Bxd1 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5#

Black's bishop on g4 seems to pin the f3 knight. White sacrifices the queen with 5.Nxe5. If Black grabs it with 5...Bxd1, then 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5#: the c3 knight jumps to d5 and the king is caught between its own pieces and the knights.

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How to recognise Légal's Mate

The pin is an illusion: the knight is not truly pinned because the queen can be sacrificed.
Mate is delivered by three minor pieces: the bishop on f7 and two knights.
Black's king has not castled and f7 is weak.

How to defend

After 5.Nxe5 don't take the queen; take the knight with 5...dxe5. White still wins material, but you avoid mate.
After an early ...Bg4 pin check your king's safety and avoid slow moves like ...g6.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Légal's mate work?

Black assumes the pinned knight can't move. But once the queen is given up, the bishop and knights reach the king via f7 and d5.

When was Légal's mate played?

It is attributed to Sire de Légal in 18th-century Paris and has been a classic opening trap ever since.

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Similar checkmate patterns

Scholar's Mate — Scholar's mate is a 4-move checkmate in which the queen and bishop attack f7 together.
Opera Mate — The Opera mate is a rook mating on the back rank, protected by a bishop.
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.

← All checkmate tactics Next: Opera Mate →