Sucker mate

Here's a Foxtrot strip where Jason rattles off a series of moves to beat his dad at chess. E2-E4, F1-C4, D10F3, F3xF7, CHECKMATE. I WIN.

 I learned the sequence as "The Sucker Mate". I actually won a game in a chess tournament with this mate. It was 9th grade at West Junior High School, my first chess tournament, taking place on a Saturday morning. An opposing team had come from another junior high school, and they were superior. I lost my first two games. My next opponent proposed a switch. One of their friends had come along who wasn't officially on the roster. I agreed to allow my opponent to have this other guy take his place.

Egged on by his friends, this guy came on cool and cocky. He played swiftly. He played confidently. The game was over in 20 seconds. You can imagine what the other team thought. We were all dumbstruck -- this is one of the first 'tricks' you learn when you're in a chess club.

Our school got crushed. That game was the only game I won that day, but it was more than enough. Yes it was.