Saint Brie The original game featured Légal playing at rook odds (without Ra1) against Saint Brie in Paris 1750: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Bg4?! 4. Nc3 g6? 5. Nxe5 Bxd1?? 6. Bxf7+ Ke7 7. Nd5# The above version is cited in most publications, sometimes with the move 4... h6 instead of 4... g6. However, research suggests that the of the game had been altered retrospectively in order to remove a flaw in the original game. Also the year 1750 is assumed to be wrong; it is more likely that the game was played in 1787, and that the original move order was: 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 d6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nc3 Bg4 5. Nxe5? Bxd1?? 6. Bxf7+ Ke7 7. Nd5# 1–0 Here the combination is flawed, as with 5... Nxe5 Black could have gained a piece. It is reported that Légal disguised his trap with a psychological trick: he first touched the knight on f3 and then retreated his hand as if realizing only now that the knight was pinned. Then, after his opponent reminded him of the touch-move rule, he played Nxe5, and the opponent grabbed the queen without thinking twice. Other variations Considerations A mating pattern where a pinned knight moves, allowing the capture of the player's queen but leading to a checkmate with minor pieces, occasionally occurs at lower levels of play, though masters would not normally fall for it. According to Bjerke (Spillet i mitt liv), the Légal Trap has ensnared countless unwary players. One author writes that "Blackburne sprang it several hundreds of times during his annual tours." In general, setting up a "trap" by luring a bishop into a queen capture is not strictly necessary. Any game featuring an advanced knight and Bxf7+ (or ...Bxf2+) followed by mate with minor pieces would be considered a Légal Mate. The mate succeeds because the square of the advanced knight is unguarded, and the enemy king is blocked by several of its own pieces. See also Checkmate pattern Elephant Trap References Bibliography External links Kermur Sire De Legal vs Saint Brie, Paris, 1750 at Chessgames.com Chess traps Chess checkmates 18th century in chess