Famous Mates,
Quick Chess Games

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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These Quick Chess Games aren't just good for filling a web page or passing time ...

Beginners can study the moves made - learn to spot opportunities as shown by the victors, and take valuable lessons from the mistakes made by the losers of these swift matches.

First, a swift mention: It's only right - credit where it's due, and all that - these Quick Chess Games were found at eudesign.com, stuck in some lower-down section of their website. Their version consisted of still images and used Descriptive Notation to log the moves made ... We've dusted things up a little, re-written the notation using the Algebraic system and used video capture software, plus Microsoft's Chess Titans game, to re-create the actual games, which can be reached from this page.

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This famous mate strategy is named after the Manchester (England) Chess player, Joseph Henry Blackburne (1841-1924), also nicknamed "Mr Black Death".

The 'Shilling' bit refers to Blackburne's habit of hustling in cafes, where he'd bet others a Shilling to play against him - he'd win by Checkmate in 7 Moves.

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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If you want to know the quickest of all routes to Checkmate, Fool's Mate is it.

This strategy involves a player being 'foolish' enough to expose his King to direct attack by his opponent's Queen ... And it all takes place with just 2 Moves, for both players!

Thus, this is the quickest of all quick chess games.

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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Like the quirky form of a Hippopotamus, this Checkmate strategy was named because of it's 'irregular opening' - but it's a Quick Chess game that can seal Checkmate in 6 Moves.

Considered a bad opening strategy by some (see here); others point towards its merits as a great opening if you're playing against an aggressive opponent, as the "Hippopotamus" is a counter-attacking strategy, for using when a swift defense is needed.

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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Named after French chess player, Legall de Kermeur, this strategy achieves Mate in 7 Moves.

It's a cunning trap - elsewhere on this site, we mention that it can be strategically advantageous to sacrifice your Queen ... such a ploy is demonstrated by Legall's Mate.

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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This quick chess game achieves Mate in 4 Moves.

Scholar's Mate sees Black attempting to threaten White's Queen, but totally missing the threat to Black's King by White's Queen, who is backed-up by her King's Bishop to secure this "4 Move Checkmate".

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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This game achieves Mate in 10 Moves.

Take a very close look at the pieces on the board at Checkmate, then compare it to Legall's Mate (above) ...

Almost identical, aren't they! Both show White as the winner, combining both Knights plus a Bishop to seal victory.

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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Another quick chess game that achieves Mate in 4 Moves.

It's one of two examples - on this page - of how the King can get into serious trouble if it isn't given space to escape.

Both the King's and Queen's Pawn version are a victory for the counter-attacking Black.

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Jump to a Quick Chess game:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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And now for the Queen's Pawn version - so named because the game begins with White advancing his d2 Pawn; the one directly infront of the Queen.

It achieves Mate in 8 Moves and again, Black is the victor due to White's 'smothering' of his King - no escape = Checkmate.

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Jump to:

(Number in Brackets = Number of Moves to Checkmate)

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From these Famous, Quick Chess Games, Return To The Checkmate Moves Index