Légal Trap

The Seekadettenmatt - known in other languages ​​usually under the name Legalls Matt - describes an opening trap in chess, which is based on a combination. In the operetta The midshipman of Richard Genée from 1876 this game was listed as living chess game, which they came to their name.

Expiration of the combination

The diagram shows a typical starting position for the Seekadettenmatt. It can arise from different Anfangszugfolgen. White sacrifices then with the very strong train 5 Sf3xe5 his lady, ignoring the restraining order to prepare Matt.

In the beating of the white lady with 5 ... Lg4xd1 follows the midshipmen - mate in two moves. The best train for Black would be here 5 ... d6xe5. After 6 Dd1xg4 is white then merely a pawn and better development for profit.

By 6 Lc4xf7 the black king chess is offered, after which there is only one possible answer, namely 6 ... Ke8 - e7. After 7 Nc3 -d5 # Black is dull.

Versions

The original version played in Paris at the Café de la Regence, the French chess master Legall against the Chevalier de St. Brie, which he claimed the women's tower. Since the player matt put his opponent with the white pieces, the name Legals Matt was used.

The dating of the historical game ( sometime 1750-1785 ) is uncertain. According to tradition, the following trains were played: 1 e2- e4 e7 - e5 2 Lf1 - c4 d7 - d6 3 Sg1 -f3 Sb8 - c6 4 Nb1 - c3 Bc8 - g4 5 Sf3xe5 Lg4xd1 6 Lc4xf7 Ke8 - e7 7 Nc3 -d5 #. A flaw of this version is that black, instead of hitting the fifth train the white lady, would win a figure by 5 ... Sc6xe5, since the Bg4 is covered by the Ne5. White played but, as I said, a default game (without the tower a1) and tried to surprise his weak opponents.

For teaching purposes a more logical sequence of moves was in later publications indicated: 1 e2- e4 e7 - e5 2 f3 d7 - d6 Sg1 - 3 Lf1 - c4 - g4 Bc8 4 Nb1 - c3 h7 - h6 (or g7- g6 ), so the above position in the diagram is reached.

In a simultaneous game of Cheron dating back to 1929, the trains 5 h3 Bh5 were switched to defuse the beating with the knight on e5: 1 e2 -e4 e7 - e5 2 Sg1 -f3 Sb8 - c6 - c4 3 Lf1 d7 - d6 4 Nb1 - c3 Bc8 - g4 5 h2 h3 Bg4 - h5 6 Sf3xe5 Lh5xd1 (again, would now Sc6xe5 better, but after 7.Dd1xh5 Se5xc4 8.Dh5 - b5 ! wins back the White Springer and has won a pawn ) 7 Lc4xf7 Ke8 - e7 8 Nc3 -d5 #.

A modified form of this case occurred in a match that was won by Ernst Falk Beer in 1847 in Vienna: 1 e2- e4 e7 - e5 2 Sg1 -f3 c6 3 Sb8 - d2 -d4 e5xd4 4 c2 c3 d4xc3 5 Sb1xc3 d7 - d6 6 Lf1 - c4 - g4 Bc8 7 0-0 Nc6 - e5 8 Sf3xe5 Lg4xd1 9 Lc4xf7 Ke8 - e7 10 Nc3 -d5 #.

Even with colors reversed, it may come to that Matt picture: 1 e2- e4 - f6 Ng8 2 Nb1 - c3 d7 -d5 3 c7 - c6 e4xd5 4 d5xc6 Sb8xc6 5 d2 -d3 e7 - e5 - g5 6 Lc1 lf8 - c5 7 Nc3 -e4 Sf6xe4 8 Lg5xd8 Lc5xf2 9 Ke1 - e2 -d4 Nc6 matt.