The Legall Mate
Legall de Kermeur vs
Saint Brie
⚙ Stockfish 18 · depth 16
White 99.7%
Black 67.1%
♞
Saint Brie
♘
Legall de Kermeur
Moves
Legends
1.2.3.4.5.6.7. 1-0
Raw PGN
[Event "Casual game, Paris"] [Site "Paris FRA"] [Date "1750.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Legall de Kermeur"] [Black "Saint Brie"] [Result "1-0"] 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 4.Nc3 g6 5.Nxe5 Bxd1 6.Bxf7+ Ke7 7.Nd5# 1-0
The Story
The oldest recorded trap in chess, played at the Café de la Régence around 1750 by Legall de Kermeur — the strongest player in Paris and the teacher of Philidor. Black sees the "free" queen on d1 and grabs it; three white minor pieces deliver mate two moves later.
The pattern — knight takes e5 offering the queen, bishop check on f7, knight mate on d5 — has caught club players for 275 years and counting. It is the first thing this archive teaches for a reason: development is worth more than material, and an unprotected king pays immediately.