Spooky Smothered Mate...in the Opening!

Happy Halloween kids!  Do you remember the smothered checkmate?  Where the king is completely trapped by his own pieces?  Well, imagine if you could trick your opponent into checkmating himself in only 7 moves!?!   It can happen!  Mrs Jessica E Prescott (aka BoundingOwl) will show you this awesome opening tactic.  And it's for black!  I'd much rather smother myself in chocolate cake...

White does have to play "incorrectly."  That is, he/she will have to be a little greedy.  But don't you know lots of chessplayers who are greedy and like to snatch up material every time they can?  Sometimes it's a good thing...and sometimes, it'll get you mated!

The opening moves start out fairy normal (it's the Italian!).  No tricky moves...yet!

 

 

 

 

 

Here is where black plays an unusual move.  It is super sneaky, since it looks like it hangs the e pawn...

 

 

 

I offer you...my E PAWN...with love....

 

No good!  Now we play Qg5.  See what she is aiming at (a fork)?  What if white gets greedy again, and plays the nasty-looking fork Nxf7?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good!  She was also attacking g2.  That move itself was a fork.  If the rook saves himself, what will she capture next?  Look for forcing moves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check!  If the queen blocks, we take her with the knight.  If the bishop blocks?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah-hah!  That's why we put the knight on d4.  Smothered mate!  Yowzer!    That would be a tough way to leave the tournament hall, don't you think?  Don't let it happen to you.  Remember, if someone "hangs" something, look carefully for tricks.  If someone plays Nd4 on you, you can just take it!  (Don't take the "hanging" pawn...)

<------(the "Smotherer")