Q&A for How to Checkmate in 3 Moves in Chess

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Can my opponent castle to get out of checkmate when my queen is on Qh5?

Community Answer

No, there are pieces in the way! It is also illegal to castle out of check.

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What should I do if it doesn't work?

Community Answer

You can play another opening. It won't always work and it usually only works with players that are absolute beginners in the game.

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When can my king swap with my rook?

Community Answer

Here are the conditions: when your bishop and knight are not in between your rook and king, your king and rook have not moved yet, there are no pieces attacking the space between your rook and king, and when doing so will not result in check.

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What can I do if the opposite player doesn't move as I wish?

Community Answer

If the opponent doesn't make the moves that allow you to checkmate him/her in three moves, play another opening. It won't always work and it usually only works with players who are absolute beginners in the game.

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Question

Can we revive pieces?

Community Answer

Some people adopt rules allowing players to recover captured pieces, but normally you can revive a captured piece only by promoting a pawn.

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Question

How do I move the king?

Community Answer

You can move your king in any direction, just like the queen, but only one square at a time. Be careful where you move your king, however; the game is over if your opponent takes your king.

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Question

How should I position the king?

Community Answer

For defensive purposes, the king is often "castled," which is explained in How to Castle in Chess .

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Question

What is a checkmate?

Community Answer

You achieve checkmate (and win the game) by placing your opponent's king in check in such a way that the opponent cannot escape check in his/her next move.

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Question

What is scholar's mate?

Community Answer

It is a checkmate made by white in four moves that is common among beginners.

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Question

Isn't there a mistake here? The first method has the king and queen on different squares to the second method.

Donagan

Top Answerer

All the drawings above are correct. The king (with the cross on top) starts on a square of the opposite color. The queen starts on the matching-color square.

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Question

What can I do if my opponent is white?

Community Answer

Who plays white and black doesn't matter. The most important thing in chess is a clear strategy, not the color.

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Why would the opponent give up a free pawn?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Your opponent might sacrifice a pawn if s/he thought it would lead to the capture of one of your more valuable pieces.

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Question

Is there such thing as a 1 move checkmate?

Community Answer

No, there isn't. The way these fast checkmates work is by moving through the kingside white square diagonal (comprising squares h5, g6, f7, and e8). In order to free up this diagonal, two pawn moves must occur.

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Question

What do I do if my opponent doesn't do the correct moves?

Donagan

Top Answerer

You prepare yourself for a longer and more interesting game.

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Question

There is no king on e2 - is this correct?

Nicolas

Community Answer

Yes. White is on e1, black is on e8.

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Question

If my opponent doesn't move how I wanted them to, should I continue this process or aim for a different goal?

Community Answer

I would restart the game and try again.

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Question

When can I create a second queen?

Community Answer

To get a second queen, you have to move your pawn to the other side of the board.

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Question

Can there be a checkmate without a queen in 3 moves?

Community Answer

It's possible for black. The white moves a pawn to f3, then you move the black pawn to e5 square. White moves his pawn to g4. This leads to fools mate, but black can move his bishop to e7 square. When the white does not protect the h5 square or block the bishop's way, then black can get checkmate using his bishop.

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Question

Is there any way to checkmate in one move?

Donagan

Top Answerer

No.

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Question

Isn't this called a fool's mate in chess?

Community Answer

No, a fool's mate only needs two moves. But the fool's mate can be easily deflected.

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Question

Can a king capture the other king?

Community Answer

No, one king cannot capture the other. This is because neither king can get close enough to capture the other without putting himself in check (which is not a legal move). If each player is reduced to his or her king, the game ends immediately in a "stalemate," which is a tie or "draw."

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Question

What opening move should I use when black?

Donagan

Top Answerer

There is no standard opening move for either color. White moves first, and black's response is chosen based on white's move.

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Question

Can I make castle with queen or rook while check?

Community Answer

No, you cannot. The rules specifically state you can't castle out of check.

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Question

Is it possible to win in two or one moves?

Community Answer

Yes, it's possible to win in two moves with the Fool's Mate. You cannot win in 1 move, however, because the pawns need to be moved forward in order to move your stronger pieces.

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Question

Is there a two move checkmate?

Community Answer

To be specific, no. And, to pull off a three-move checkmate, you still need your opponent to do what you wish.

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Question

What if in the 1st step the opponent doesn't make that move?

Community Answer

Then you use another opening. Chess is about reacting. You can go in with a strategy, but you will often have to evaluate your opponent's moves and readjust your strategy accordingly.

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Question

Can I win a game of chess in one move?

Donagan

Top Answerer

No, neither player can capture the opponent's king at the beginning of a game in one move.

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Question

Which formation is the best for attacking in chess?

Community Answer

It really depends on the skill level of both players, the 3 move checkmate won't work as well on more experienced players. Try using different formations or tactics to exploit the position of the opponent's king.

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Question

What is check? And to where should I move my piece? How do I check my opponent's piece? Not checkmate.

Community Answer

Check is when one or more of your pieces can capture your opponent's king if he does not move to a space where none of your pieces can attack him within his next move. Your first move should be to move the pawn in front of your king two spaces forward to free up space to allow your queen to go to the center of the board.

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Can my king move with a check?

Donagan

Top Answerer

Yes. Just being in check does not mean the king can't move, but the move must get the king out of check.

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