Checkmate patterns
Checkmate is a check with no way out: the king has no safe square, the checking piece cannot be taken and the check cannot be blocked. Most mates repeat a few shapes. Once you know them you see them coming — on both sides of the board.
Basic mates
With an extra queen or rook, drive the lone king to the edge and bring your own king up to help. Two rooks can manage without the king.
Qb7#. The king on b6 protects the queen, and the queen covers every square around a8.
Rh8#. The white king takes a7 and b7; the rook checks along the back rank.Rb8#. One rook closes the seventh rank, the other checks on the eighth. Taking turns like this, two rooks walk a king to the edge.Back-rank mate
A castled king behind three unmoved pawns has nowhere to go. A rook or queen landing on the back rank mates. One pawn move in front of the king, such as h3, gives it a square and removes the danger.
Rd8#. Black's own pawns on f7, g7 and h7 hold the king in.Smothered mate
A king hemmed in by its own pieces can be mated by a knight alone, because a knight's check cannot be blocked.
Nf7#. The rook on g8 and the pawns on g7 and h7 take every square from their own king.Arabian mate
A rook and a knight against a king in the corner: the knight protects the rook and covers the last escape square.
Rh7#. The knight on f6 guards the rook and g8; the rook covers g7.Anastasia's mate
A knight takes the squares beside a king on the edge, and a rook checks down the open file.
Rh1#. The knight on e7 covers g6 and g8, and Black's own pawn fills g7.Boden's mate
Two bishops on crossing diagonals mate a king castled on the queenside, when its own pieces fill the squares beside it.
Ba6#. The bishop on f4 covers b8 and c7, the one on a6 covers b7, and Black's own knight and rook fill d7 and d8.Traps in the opening
Scholar's mate
White's queen and bishop both aim at f7, which at the start only the black king defends.
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Qh5 Nf6, Qxf7#. Black's last move attacked the queen but did nothing for f7.The defence is simple: 3…g6 blocks the queen, or 3…Qe7 guards f7. Then the early queen becomes a target.
Fool's mate
The fastest checkmate possible comes on Black's second move.
1.f3 e5 2.g4, Qh4#. White's two pawn moves opened the diagonal to e1, and nothing can block it.Pawn moves in front of your own king, like f3 and g4, open lines to it. Leave those pawns alone early in the game.
Légal's mate
White gives up the queen and mates with the minor pieces. It works only if Black takes the queen.
5.Nxe5 Bxd1 Black is a queen up. Bxf7+ leaves the king only Ke7, and Nd5# ends the game.When a strong piece is offered for nothing, look first at what taking it opens up.