The Fool's Mate
from The Queen of Katwe
by Tim Crothers
Phiona remembers almost nothing about the game, except the outcome. Joseph Asaba can recall every single move.
It occurred sometime in 2006. Phiona has been at the chess project for several months. She isn't sure how many games she played and lost without every winning, saying that the number is too high to count.
Phiona was anxious ass she sat down across the board from Joseph, who had specifically requested her as an opponent because he expected to beat her, and winners at the project are usually allowed to keep playing on a board until they are defeated. Phiona had played against Joseph a few times before and he had always won within a few moves. How could he do that? It seemed like magic to her. It wasn't. It was the Fool's Mate.
It occurred sometime in 2006. Phiona has been at the chess project for several months. She isn't sure how many games she played and lost without every winning, saying that the number is too high to count.
Phiona was anxious ass she sat down across the board from Joseph, who had specifically requested her as an opponent because he expected to beat her, and winners at the project are usually allowed to keep playing on a board until they are defeated. Phiona had played against Joseph a few times before and he had always won within a few moves. How could he do that? It seemed like magic to her. It wasn't. It was the Fool's Mate.
The Scholar's Mate
(Referred to in The Queen of Katwe as the Fool's Mate)
Joseph had learned the Fool's Mate from Katende and it was his favorite tactic. He used it in every game he played. So again in this game against Phiona, Joseph employed his customary opening, maneuvering his bishop and queen into position. He thought the trap was set as usual.
But this time, Phiona responded by moving her queen directly in front of her king. Joseph had never seen that before, but he still jumped at the opportunity to capture Phiona's pawn with his queen. Phiona then took Joseph's queen and his bishop, while forfeiting her queen and pawn, an advantageous swap.
Phiona's Response to the Scholar's Mate
After the Fool's Mate failed, Joseph didn't know what to do next. He was never comfortable in the middlegame because he rarely had to play it.
The Traditional Fool's Mate
Although the above Scholar's Mate is a trap played on students new to the game, the traditional Fool's Mate discussed by chess enthusiasts requires the player to open up the kingside with pawn advances to create a clear line of sight for the attacking Queen.
Because this opening very rarely happens, over time the Scholar's Mate has also been called the Fool's Mate due to being a trick that can usually only be played once on an unsuspecting player to "fool" him or her.
If they do not succeed, both the Fool's Mate and the Scholar's Mate cause the attacking Queen to be out in the open where a series of pawn advances and knight and bishop moves can put her at risk.
Because this opening very rarely happens, over time the Scholar's Mate has also been called the Fool's Mate due to being a trick that can usually only be played once on an unsuspecting player to "fool" him or her.
If they do not succeed, both the Fool's Mate and the Scholar's Mate cause the attacking Queen to be out in the open where a series of pawn advances and knight and bishop moves can put her at risk.
