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The Encyclopedia of Checkmates: 40+ Patterns You Must Know
You can have a winning position, but if you don't know the geometric pattern to finish it, the King might escape. Checkmates are shapes. The best players memorize these "Mating Nets" to spot them instantly.
1. Rook-Based Patterns
Pieces: Two Rooks (on 7th rank)
🧠 Hook: "Pigs on the 7th."
Two Rooks occupy the 7th rank (the "Sevenths"). One Rook checks the King, forcing it into the corner. The other Rook delivers mate.
They devour pawns and the King like "blind swine."
The Kill Box
Pieces: Rook + Queen
🧠 Hook: "The 3x3 Prison."
The Rook is adjacent to the King. The Queen is one square away (diagonal). Together they form a 3x3 "box" that the King cannot escape.
Usually happens when a King is trapped on the edge.
Pieces: Rook or Queen
🧠 Hook: "The Corridor."
The King is trapped behind his own wall of three pawns. A heavy piece invades the back rank.
Ladder Mate (Lawnmower)
Pieces: Two Major Pieces
🧠 Hook: "Step by Step."
Two Rooks (or Queens) work together to push the King to the edge of the board, cutting off one rank at a time until mate is achieved.
Pieces: Rook + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Masked Bishop."
Named after Paul Morphy's game. A Rook delivers mate on the back rank, protected by a Bishop on a long diagonal. The King is trapped by his own piece on the side.
Mayet's Mate
Pieces: Rook + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Fianchetto Killer."
Similar to the Opera Mate, but usually against a castled King. The Rook mates on h7 (or a2), supported by a Bishop behind it on the long diagonal.
Anderssen's Mate
Pieces: Rook + Pawn (or Bishop)
🧠 Hook: "The Corner Crush."
A Rook mates on the 8th rank corner, supported diagonally by a Pawn or Bishop.
2. Queen-Based Patterns
Epaulette Mate
Pieces: Queen vs. King + 2 Rooks
🧠 Hook: "Shoulder Pads."
The King is on the back rank, sandwiched between his own two Rooks (which block his escape like shoulder pads/epaulettes). The Queen checks from right in front.
Swallow's Tail (Guéridon)
Pieces: Queen vs. King + 2 Pieces
🧠 Hook: "The V-Shape."
The Queen checks the King right in his face (supported by another piece). The King cannot retreat diagonally because his own pieces block him in a V-shape.
Dovetail Mate (Cozio)
Pieces: Queen vs. King + 2 Pieces
🧠 Hook: "The Diagonal V."
Similar to the Swallow's Tail, but the Queen checks diagonally (contact check). The King's escape squares are blocked by his own pieces.
Damiano's Mate
Pieces: Queen + Pawn
🧠 Hook: "The Face Kiss."
A white pawn on g6 (or f7) supports the Queen. The Queen lands on h7 (or g7) right in the King's face. Often follows a Rook sacrifice on h8.
Lolli's Mate
Pieces: Queen + Pawn
🧠 Hook: "The Fianchetto Pry-Open."
A Pawn on f6 (wedge) creates a hook. The Queen invades to g7 or h6 to deliver mate. Similar to Damiano's but usually against a fianchetto structure.
Triangle Mate
Pieces: Queen + Rook
🧠 Hook: "The Geometry."
The Queen mates the King on the edge, supported by a Rook that is two squares away on the same file/rank. They form a triangle shape.
Max Lange's Mate
Pieces: Queen + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Support."
The Queen delivers mate adjacent to the King, supported by a Bishop from afar.
3. Bishop & Diagonal Patterns
Pieces: Two Bishops
🧠 Hook: "The X-Factor."
A beautiful cross-fire mate. One Bishop cuts off the escape squares (d7/e8), while the other Bishop delivers the checkmate from the opposite diagonal. Usually follows a Queen sacrifice.
Balestra Mate
Pieces: Queen + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Scissor."
The Bishop checks the King on the side of the board, while the Queen blocks the escape squares (diagonal and vertical) without giving check herself.
Blackburne's Mate
Pieces: Two Bishops + Knight
🧠 Hook: "The Sniper Team."
A Knight sits on g5 (blocking f7/h7), while two Bishops slice across the board to deliver mate.
Pieces: Bishop + Rook/Queen
🧠 Hook: "The Self-Block."
Famous from Réti vs Tartakower. The enemy King is trapped by 4 of his own pieces. A Bishop delivers the final blow from a distance.
Morphy's Mate
Pieces: Rook + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Corner Trap."
The King is trapped in the corner by his own Pawn and a Rook. The Bishop delivers the mate from a distance.
Pillsbury's Mate
Pieces: Rook + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "Morphy's Twin."
Almost identical to Morphy's mate, but the Rook delivers the check while the Bishop cuts off the flight squares.
4. Knight, Pawn & Special Mates
Pieces: Lone Knight
🧠 Hook: "Friendly Fire."
The King is completely surrounded ("smothered") by his own pieces. A lone Knight jumps in to deliver checkmate. Often follows the "Philidor Legacy" sacrifice.
Anastasia's Mate
Pieces: Rook + Knight
🧠 Hook: "Knight shuts door, Rook walks hall."
A Knight on e7 (or d7) blocks the King from moving sideways. The Rook delivers the final blow down the open file.
Arabian Mate
Pieces: Rook + Knight
🧠 Hook: "The Hug."
The Knight protects the Rook on the corner square (h8/a8). The King is trapped in the corner.
The Hook Mate
Pieces: Rook + Knight + Pawn
🧠 Hook: "The Question Mark."
Rook checks King. Knight protects Rook. Pawn protects Knight. A chain of protection that traps the King.
Vuković's Mate
Pieces: Rook + Knight
🧠 Hook: "The Edge Trap."
A complex mate on the edge of the board. The Rook checks, supported by the King/Pawn, while the Knight covers the flight squares.
Suffocation Mate
Pieces: Knight + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Bishop Glue."
The Bishop pins the King's flight squares from a distance, and the Knight delivers the mate.
Pieces: 2 Knights + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Sea Cadet Trap."
An opening trap where White sacrifices the Queen to mate the Black King in the center of the board using minor pieces.
Pieces: Pawn
🧠 Hook: "The Little Guy Wins."
A mate delivered by a Pawn, usually when the enemy King is surrounded by heavy pieces but cannot move.
Stamma's Mate
Pieces: Knight + King (vs Pawn)
🧠 Hook: "The Pawn Traitor."
A rare endgame mate where the opponent's own side-pawn blocks their King, allowing a Knight to deliver mate.
Greco's Mate
Pieces: Rook + Bishop
🧠 Hook: "The Corner Cut."
A Bishop cuts off the g8 escape square. The Rook delivers mate on the h-file. Often relies on the opponent's g-pawn blocking their own King.