Fool’s Mate Themes

Checkmates! We love them.

This book shows 60 games using the Fool's Mate themes. Once you learn this checkmate skill, it helps you win fast.

If the opportunity arises, there's no faster way to win.

Fool's Mate is the shortest possible chess game.

Black can win in two moves. White can win in three.

Two-move games are rare, but Fool's Mate themes occur in many openings. The longest games here are 11 moves.

This book is a short read with lots of diagrams. I illustrate the themes so that you can read the whole book quickly.

Fool's Mate is a type of checkmate early in the game where the losing king is trapped on its original square.

These mates come diagonally. Black mates the king on e1 from g3 or h4. White mates the king on e8 from h5 or g6.

Look for a weakness when opponents move the f-pawn, and usually the g-pawn or h-pawn, early in the game.

Players who lose a Fool's Mate are not fools. Most are simply less experienced at chess. Some are beginners. Others are less skilled at noticing tactics in advance. The rest play moves too fast to see everything (see Game 2).

After the first two games, the rest are mine. For 50 years Tim Sawyer has played masters, experts, and class A players. But the games in this book were ones that he played vs club players, blitz opponents, simultaneous exhibitions, online contests, or games against chess engines. He has won 200 times with Fool's Mate themes. This book has 60 games.