How to Achieve Checkmate in 2 Moves

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Hi, Coach Russ here with Chess NYC. A very common question that we receive as chess coaches is what is the quickest way to win a game of chess? Now, everybody's idea of the game of chess, that's it's a very long, strategic, thought out game, but surprisingly enough there is a way to win a game of chess in only two moves. Now, when we're looking at the two move checkmate or also known as the foolsmate, it's going to take a sequence of bad moves by the opponent to fall into this trap of only two moves.

Now interestingly enough the two move checkmate is going to occur on the black side checkmating white in two moves. So white is going to open up and play a move, F-4. As we can notice in this position by white moving their pawn to F-4 they've opened up their king's diagonal exposing the king and creating a weakness. Black can simply open up and make space for their queen and bishop and this is black's first move. White makes their second move further opening up the king's diagonal and allowing for black to make their second move which is to bring the queen along the diagonal to H-4 and checking the king.

Now in chess when we're in check we look for three ways to get out of check. It's either to move the king, to block the check or to capture the checking piece. In this position the king has no safe squares to move. There are no pieces that can interpose or block the queen from checking the king and there are actually no pieces that can capture the checking piece or capture the queen.

So what has just happened is black has checkmated white in two moves and just to once again show you, white opens up making the move to F-4 opening up the king's diagonal. Black plays the pawn up opening up the queen to make a direct threat on white's king. White plays G-4 and black responds by bringing the queen out and making a direct threat to white's king and leaving white with no option to run, block or capture and ending the game in only two moves.