How to Checkmate in 4 Moves (Scholar's Mate) - Beginner to Chess Master #6

This is video #6 from the "Beginner to Chess Master" playlist. Oh how popular the 4 move checkmate is! Nearly every chess player has had it played against them. But is it really any good? Presented is how you can 'try' to checkmate in 4 moves, and also how to defend against it in a convenient way. Shared also are a couple important tips that'll help us to stay in a good frame of mind while playing.

Beginner to Chess Master Playlist:

I'm a self-taught National Master in chess out of Pennsylvania, USA who was introduced to the game by my father in 1988 at the age of 8. The purpose of this channel is to share my knowledge of chess to help others improve their game. I enjoy continuing to improve my understanding of this great game, albeit slowly. Consider subscribing here on YouTube for frequent content, and/or connecting via any or all of the below social medias. Your support is greatly appreciated. Take care, bye. :)

[limegreenelevator]

I won a school chess tournament in 6th grade with this. Took me a while to stop trying it.

[agradman]

I am very impressed, how you used something simple like the scholars mate and used it as a teaching tool for something bigger. You're a really talented educator.

[bobbybob]

My hope chess consists of hoping my opponent doesn't notice my mistake >.<

[VeracityTrigger]

I had a cousin say when I was younger that he could beat me over and over at chess when I was younger and tried the scholars mate on me. He beat me in the first game but the second game, I tried G6, since it seemed nothing else would work. He got so upset he threw the board in the air and walked out of the room.

[Youngisgod]

"Where you going, Bishop?"

-Jerry the savage

[Zilentification]

I wonder how many of us were introduced to the brutal world of chess via scholar's mate. I'll never forgive you Dad.

[Ruminations]

I generally use the scholar's mate as a quick way of gauging how good my opponant is at chess so that I know if I should be trying my hardest or going easy on them. When I'm playing online or at tournament, I can see their Elo, but if I'm playing against a friend who I've never played before, the scholar's mate is a simple way of figuring out their skill.
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If they immediately react to the fact that I moved my e-file pawn, I immedately change plan and play as well as I can. If they react as soon as I move out my queen, I'll probably still try to play as well as possible since an e-file pawn move doesn't neccissarily mean I'm going for a scholar's mate. If they still don't react after I bring out my bishop, then I'll mate them, but offer them a rematch wherein I'd promise not to go for the scholar's mate a second time and I'd also go easy on them.
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I really hate people who only go for the scholar's mate, but I definately think it has a use in getting a feel for your opponenet's general game-sense.

[yagovsc]

im 24 yo and started to play chess yesterday, and your guides are very well explained. good work! thanks

[kocheecebeatz]

Wow that explains a lot. There some players I went against that ended me within 20 sec in the chess game. Keep in mind I just started playing chess like yesterday. Now I know how to avoid this mistake.

[wiscatbijles]

I guess the most attractive part of the scholar's mate and even more the fishing pole is that it gives beginning players a first blue print to work with during the game, because they otherwise find it difficult to come up with another plan.
I'm now about 1650 rated on lichess and I remember when I was sub 1300 I had a very difficult time to come up with plans during the middle game. Easy ideas with attacking f2/f7 or h2/h7 are I guess the first ideas to start to learn the game and in a later stage to be abandon them, when one has developed better ideas (no more hope chess, but calculation) for attacking the opponent.

[Thw]

I really like the way you explain things and develop situations. Usually when I watch chess videos I'm left with a bunch of questions that I have to answer myself, but that often takes a while. You, however, seem to make things pretty clear.

[AndersWelander]

I'm afraid I am at the level where this was very useful advice. I have been a hope-chess player my whole 55-year-long life. Time now for me to start improving my game.
I really love watching all your videos about games between champions. Now I am also enjoying these educational videos very much. You have the best chess channel by far in my opinion.

[zgcolorforce]

I've experienced beginners sometimes sees this treat and defends with g6 without the knight to protect the e5 pawn, which allows the queen to fork the rook and queen on e5 (if it is on h5) and a few times, they've defend the king by blocking with the knight which allow you to capture the rook with check and capture the knight with check too and force mate soon after.

[ascii_]

for the moment this is the most entertaining of the tutorial videos I mean, it is very informative as the last 5 but I liked the way you talked during the video and even laughed a bit at the end with that "were you goin' bishap?"

[PsychoSledgeHammer]

This helped me the first match in the day i watched this, lol



I played white...

1. e4, e5
2. Nc3, Qh4
He was trying to do the Scholar's Mate in the video, i stopped it by repling with g3
3. g3, Qf6
He tried to move his queen to a different angle, as talked threw
4. Nf3,
I used the tactic explained in this useful chess video
4... Qxf3
5.Qxf3
Then he resigned

The first game the next day, I played black...

1. e4, e5
2. Qh5, Nc6
3. Bc4, g6
4. Qf6, d3

This video really helped me, thanks

[keenb]

If you play this at 2x, Ben Shapiro teaches you how to play chess.

[oOPPHOo]

Title: How to Checkmate in 4 Moves
Video: Don't

[burrito]

Anton Squared. From the Mathies. OH NO I'M MATED HAHAHAHA. Anton squared me no no no!!! :D

[scarletevans]

There's one more mistake that I saw many new players committing over and over, which could be really worth mentioning here.
Take a look at 5:49 - some beginner players try to chase off the Queen with a g6 Pawn, without having e5 Pawn being defended by Knight at c6 (because they made some other move).
And we all know how it ends: Queen takes e5, with a check and an attack on Rook at h8 :-)

[SuperYtc]

Number 1 rule: Don't let Anton square you.