---

chess noob Quick Wins! is a series of short videos, to demonstrate very quick wins! As a beginner, you become aware of the Scholar’s Mate and the Fool’s Mate, but neither of these show up in real games. However, there are tricky quick checkmates and wins that occur, even at the intermediate level of chess.

This game from my subscriber featured an absolutely devious trap in the Scotch Game. Surprisingly, this amazing gambit line has no name! So, if we are to describe it as the “Scottish gambit”, I propose as per the famous Shakesperean “Scottish play”, we should call this venonous and treacherous opening line the “Macbeth Gambit”!

It starts typically enough (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4) but then on move 4, White plays a surprising and aggressive knight attack that seemingly goes nowhere (4. Ng5).

The next move, the knight meant business and immediately sacrifices itself to capture the f7 pawn (5. Nxf7). The king of course captures back (Kxf7) and according to Stockfish, White has gone insane! The position has an evaluation of [-3.6]!

However, what White has done is potentially force the game down a single narrow path that Black cannot deviate from. If they step off the path, then White gets a winning position, if now an outright win.

White now strikes with a wayward queen like attack – first Bc4+ and then Qh5+. And then on move 8, Qd5, lining up a killer battery with the bishop on the light square diagonal. Here, Black has one move, and it’s hard to see.

Black needs to play, Bb4+ and then Qe7 (a brilliant move that sacrifices the bishop on b4!) to give the Black king breathing room, and to defend against the impending mate threat. If Black does this, then White’s gambit has refuted and Black should go on to win.

However, in this game, Black played a natural looking (8… d6) and now comes (9. Qf7+) and Black resigns as it will be checkmate next turn. Great game!

Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/2HCErjwwxz