--- title: "Legal's mate in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/legals-mate.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/legals-mate" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "Legal's mate is an opening trap in which White lets Black capture the queen and then checkmates with a bishop and two knights." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholars-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fools-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/trap-in-the-opening.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Legal's mate in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. Legal's mate is an opening trap in which White lets Black capture the queen and then checkmates with a bishop and two knights. Legal's mate is an opening trap in which White lets Black capture the queen and then checkmates with a bishop and two knights, punishing a Black player who takes the offered piece. The usual [move order](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/move-order.md) is 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 4.Nc3 g6. Black's [bishop](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bishop.md) on g4 pins the [knight](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/knight.md) on f3 to the queen, and Black expects to win a piece. Instead White plays 5.Nxe5, ignoring the pin and leaving the queen on d1 attacked by the bishop. If Black takes the queen with Bxd1, White plays Bxf7+. The king has only one move, Ke7, and then Nd5 is [checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md). The bishop on f7 and the knights on d5 and e5 together cover every escape [square](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/square.md), and the king is hemmed in by its own pieces. Black can also decline the queen, which is safer. To use it, remember the setup: bishop on c4 aimed at f7, knight on c3 ready to jump to d5, and a knight on e5 that protects the bishop when it lands on f7. To avoid it, before you take a queen that is offered for free, look at every check White has, especially Bxf7+. In the diagram, which arises after Black's queen was taken on d1 and White checked on f7, White plays Nd5#. The knight on d5 checks the king on e7 and covers f6. The bishop on f7 covers e6 and e8, the knight on e5 covers d7, and Black's own queen, bishop and pawn fill d8, f8 and d6. Also called: Legal trap. ## Example position White to move plays Nd5#. The knight on d5 checks the king on e7 and covers f6, the bishop on f7 covers e6 and e8, the knight on e5 covers d7, and Black's own pieces fill the other squares. Position (FEN): `rn1q1bnr/ppp1kB1p/3p2p1/4N3/4P3/2N5/PPPP1PPP/R1BbK2R w KQ - 0 1` Compare it with [Fool's mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fools-mate.md). Fool's mate is the quickest checkmate possible: Black mates on the second move with Qh4 after White has pushed the f and g pawns, which leaves the king's diagonal wide open. Compare it with [Scholar's mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholars-mate.md). Scholar's mate is a four-move checkmate on f7: White's queen and bishop both aim at that square, where only the king defends, and Qxf7 ends the game when Black overlooks it. Also worth reading is [Trap in the opening](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/trap-in-the-opening.md). A trap in the opening is a move or setup that invites a natural-looking reply, often a grab of material, which then loses to a prepared tactic, so the side that falls for it is worse or lost within a few moves. To see how often "Legal's mate" or a pattern like it decides your own games, book a [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): George Li reviews your games and writes a study plan around what he finds. ## Related terms - [Scholar's mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholars-mate.md) - [Fool's mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fools-mate.md) - [Trap in the opening](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/trap-in-the-opening.md) - [Queen sacrifice](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice.md) - [Checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md) ## Openings where it occurs - [Italian game](https://georgelichess.com/chess-opening-statistics/italian-game.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid. - [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each. - [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li. [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Scholar's Mate: How to Play It and Stop It](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholars-mate.md) - [Fool's mate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fools-mate.md) - [Trap in the opening in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/trap-in-the-opening.md) - [Queen sacrifice in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/queen-sacrifice.md) - [Checkmate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md) - [Chess terms: Tactics and combinations](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tactics.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)