Lolli Attack: The King-Walk Mate
Spot the mistake, then find the punishment
Starting positionWhite to move
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The temptation
10...Kd6 is the move that springs the trap. Kd6 escapes the rook's e-file check while keeping the d5 knight defended. Black hopes the king can shelter behind the centre.
Why it works
11.Qxd5# removes the knight and checks the king from d5. The c4 bishop protects the queen, so the king cannot capture it. The queen controls c5, c6, d7 and e6; the e1 rook covers e5, while Black's own pawn on c7 and bishop on e7 block the other flights. This is a genuine Lolli move order with 6.d4, distinct from the Greco/Møller Attack. The decisive error shown is ...Kd6, not a claim that the preceding king hunt has only one defence.
The bishop protects the mating queen
Bc4 protects Qd5. With the d5 knight removed, the queen, bishop and rook cover every available king flight.
How to avoid it
At move ten, 10...Ne5 blocks the rook's check instead of stepping into Qxd5 mate. Earlier, after 5.exd5, the standard ...Na5 counterattack avoids these Lolli king-walk positions entirely.
The opening behind it
Learn the sound version of this line and the trick stops being tempting.