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The Legal's Mate

White gives up the queen; the knights and bishop then mate the king.

Opening: Philidor Defence. Set by White. Level: Intermediate.

The moves

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 4.Nc3 g6 5.Nxe5 Bxd1 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5#

It only works after a mistake

Black must play Bxd1 for it to work. Works only if Black grabs the queen. After ...dxe5 instead, White has simply lost a pawn.

How to avoid it

dxe5 instead of taking the queen. Black loses a pawn but stays in the game.

Practise setting and escaping it