scholar's mate

noun

The checkmate which occurs shortly after the opening, when the white queen checkmates by taking the black pawn on f7 (or the black queen taking the white pawn on f2), protected by a bishop on c4 (or c5).

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Meanings

nounscholar's mate (plural scholar's mates)

plural scholar's mates

  1. board gamesThe checkmate which occurs shortly after the opening, when the white queen checkmates by taking the black pawn on f7 (or the black queen taking the white pawn on f2), protected by a bishop on c4 (or c5).

Origin

First named and described in The Royall Game of Chesse-Play, a 1656 text by the English author Francis Beale.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic ضَرْبَة الرَاعِي, خطة نابليون
  • ضَرْبَة الرَاعِيcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • خطة نابليونcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Catalan mat del pastor, escac i mat del pastor
  • mat del pastorcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • escac i mat del pastorcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Chinese Mandarin 四回合將殺 /四回合将杀
  • 四回合將殺 /四回合将杀 (sì huíhé jiāngshā)checkmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Dutch herdersmat
  • herdersmatcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Finnish koulumatti
  • koulumatticheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
French coup du berger, mat du berger
  • coup du bergercheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • mat du bergercheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
German Schäfermatt, Schäferzug
  • Schäfermattcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • Schäferzugcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • Schustermattcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Greek βαριάντα του Ναπολέοντα, ναπολεόντειο ματ
  • βαριάντα του Ναπολέοντα (variánta tou Napoléonta)checkmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • ναπολεόντειο ματ (napoleónteio mat)checkmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Hebrew מט סנדלרים
  • מט סנדלריםcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Hungarian susztermatt
  • susztermattcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Italian matto del barbiere
  • matto del barbierecheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Korean 스칼러스 메이트
  • 스칼러스 메이트 (seukalleoseu meiteu)checkmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Latin mattum scholāris
  • mattum scholārischeckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Lithuanian vaikiškas matas, kindermatas
  • vaikiškas matascheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • kindermatascheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Norwegian skolematten
  • skolemattencheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Polish mat szewski
  • mat szewskicheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Portuguese mate pastor
  • mate pastorcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Russian де́тский ма́т
  • де́тский ма́т (détskij mát)checkmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Spanish mate del pastor, mate pastor
  • mate del pastorcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • mate pastorcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • jaque mate del pastorcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
  • jaque mate pastorcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Swedish skolmatt
  • skolmattcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Tamil மாணவகன் முற்றுகை
  • மாணவகன் முற்றுகை (māṇavakaṉ muṟṟukai)checkmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Turkish çoban matı
  • çoban matıcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Ukrainian дитячий мат
  • дитячий мат (dytjačyj mat)checkmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Vietnamese chiếu hết scholar
  • chiếu hết scholarcheckmate which occurs after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Qxf7#
Cite this entry
APA

scholar's mate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scholar's%20mate

MLA

“scholar's mate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scholar's%20mate. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scholar's mate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scholar's%20mate.

Source: scholar's mate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.