Légal's Mate
The idea: a pin only holds if moving the pinned piece is really bad.
Read it
The same game for older readers
- The annotated game · ages 15-18
- For grown-ups · for grown-ups
Who is in this book
-
Sir Pinwell A pin freezes a piece along a line from GambitTales -
Merle the Gleaner A hanging piece — a piece with no defender is a free piece (and the bait that only looks free) from GambitTales -
Linnet the Netweaver Mate in two — the first move forces the reply, the second springs the mate from GambitTales -
Inkling a child of the Green Names what she notices
Every recurring character has a short tune, so you can tell who is on stage before a word is said. The tunes play only when you tap, and the Reading Access sound switch turns them off.
The Honest Page
Which parts of this story are true, stretched or made up?
True
- Every move in this story is the game as it is usually published: seven moves, mate by three minor pieces.
- After 3...Bg4 the knight on f3 is pinned to the queen. It moves anyway, because taking the queen loses.
- The game was played at the Café de la Régence in Paris, where Légal was the strongest player of his day. Source
Stretched
- The story shows a full set of pieces. What we simplified: Légal is said to have given his opponent the odds of a rook: he played without his a1 rook. It never moves in the published game, so the moves are the same. Source
- The date is given as 1750. What we simplified: That is the traditional date; research suggests 1787 is more likely. The move order may also have been tidied afterwards to remove a flaw in the original game. Source
Made up
- Captain Castle's academy, the re-staging and chess pieces who talk are made up.
Tell it back
Tell the story in your own words: who was there, what went wrong, and what they found out. Then the Légal's Mate score sheet goes on your belt.
On your belt: the Légal's Mate score sheet.
Your belt lives on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Ring the hammer for someone
Pick this book for someone younger. The link carries only the book, and it will wait for them on the Green.