FOR BEGINNERS (100-300 elo)

Grandmasters have used Scholar's Mate, with Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura attempting it in serious tournaments, and Surya Shekhar Ganguly being checkmated by it in a rapid championship game, demonstrating it can even occur at the highest levels of play.

Grandmasters have used Scholar's Mate, with Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura attempting it in serious tournaments, and Surya Shekhar Ganguly being checkmated by it in a rapid championship game, demonstrating it can even occur at the highest levels of play.

The bongcloud has been used by all of them too. Just because a GM plays an opening doesn't make it good, and if you look at how rarely it's used at the titled level, that should tell you all you need to know.

But who cares about the titled level - you're trying to get from beginner to intermediate, so let's talk about that level. I've played almost 1600 games on chess.com in the last year and I faced the wayward queen attack just once. It was in blitz, and even in those time settings I still easily won against it. I'm betting if you asked other intermediate players you would get the same story. The wayward queen attack and going for a scholars mate is not a path to becoming a better chess player.

A beginner may get confused and overwhelmed by a powerful piece entering the game early. The most common example is the Scholar's Mate, a four-move checkmate that can end the game immediately if the opponent doesn't know the proper defense.

Scholars mate is the best

I suppose for beginners it works, but after like 500 elo you should try properly playing the game cuz ppl would know how to defend against scholar's mate by then

And how are you getting better from that? Great, you can beat low rated beginners. But you'll still not develop the skills you need to be anything more than a beginner yourself.

What about scholars mate

Good job, ChatGPT. Demonstrating again that you have no clue about chess (or anything).

So......you're telling me that even after several great points on why it's bad have been brought up by high rated players?

The last line means: hope that your opponent hasn't watched one of the hundreds of YouTube tutorials on how to punish the scholars mate

Ah but you see, even if that is true that is called cherry picking. Out of thousands and thousands of intermediate and advanced games, what is the success rate of scholars mate? Not very high.

Still, Scholars mate is the best

Ok then since you are stubbornly refusing advice you can go stay under 500 elo

Okay then which mate is best??

None of the quick mates are going to help you improve.

Go learn tactics

Fool's mate is the best

(sarcasm)