Checkmate Patterns

A checkmate pattern is a particular and recognizable arrangement of the pieces that deliver the checkmate. You can
further improve your chess tactics skill by studying all the different checkmates that commonly occur in chess games.
List of Checkmate Patterns
Anastasia’s Mate
The first checkmate pattern in the list illustrates Anastasia’s Mate:

Diagram above: 1.Rh3# checkmates the black king against the side of the board. Note how white’s knight is perfectly
placed to cover the escape squares.

Anderssen’s Mate
Anderssen’s Mate is a checkmate pattern that features a rook supported by a pawn as it checkmates the opposing king
along the eighth rank from the corner. The pawn is then also defended by another piece or pawn. The pattern is named
after Adolf Anderssen, a German chess master from the 19th century:

Diagram above: 2.Rh8# White concludes the game with the Anderssen Mate. A particular feature of this position is that
white’s pawn is defended by his king.

Arabian Mate
The Arabian Mate is a checkmate pattern that features the unique abilities of a knight (horse) with the help of a rook:

Diagram above: 1.Rh7# Note how the white knight defends the rook on h7 and at the same time covers the escape
square, g8. This demonstration of the knight’s unique abilities is the main feature of the Arabian Mate.
Back Rank Mate
The Back Rank Mate happens when a king is trapped behind it’s own pawn shield and gets mated by a rook or queen:

Diagram above: White plays 1.Rd8# The black king is trapped on the back rank, behind his own pawn shield, hence the
name “Back Rank Mate”. This proves that your own pieces can sometimes work against you!

Balestra Mate
The Balestra Mate is a checkmate pattern that demonstrates optimal coordination between a queen and bishop:

Diagram above: 1.Bc6# shows how the white bishop and queen coordinate perfectly to checkmate the black king on the
side of the board.
Interesting Note on the Balestra Mate
It appears that the name “Balestra Mate” (performed by a queen and bishop) was first used as a tag on chesstempo.com–in
order to distinguish it from Boden’s Mate (which involves two bishops). An important observation here is that the case of
Balestra Mate, the bishop MUST be the checking piece if the queen has the task to block all escape squares (without the
help of the opponent’s own pieces).

Blackburne’s Mate
Blackburne’s Mate involves two bishops and a knight against a castled king:

Diagram above: 1.Bh7# demonstrates the typical coordination between two bishops and a knight that resembles
Blackburne’s Mate.
The pattern is named after Joseph Henry Blackburne’s, a British chess player who once demonstrated this checkmate in
one of his games.
Blind Swine Mate
The Blind Swine Mate demonstrates the power of two connected rooks on the 7th rank:

Diagram above: 1.Rdg7# illustrates the checkmate pattern. The two white rooks on the 7th rank coordinate to trap the
castled king, with the “help” of the obstructing black rook on f8. It’s often impossible to defend against this checkmate
pattern–which is why you should be very aware of the danger presented by two connected rooks on the 7th rank.
According to an article on chesskid.com, this checkmate pattern got its name from David Janowski, a Polish grandmaster
who referred to a pair of rooks on the seventh rank that could not find a mate as “blind swine”.

Boden’s Mate
Boden’s Mate demonstrates the power of two bishops on open diagonals:

Diagram above: 1.Ba6# shows how the two white bishops work together to deliver checkmate. They require the “help” of
black’s rook and pawn–they occupy the escape squares.
This checkmate pattern is named after Samuel Boden–an English chess master from the 19th century. He wasn’t the first
player to use it, but he used it in a game that became well-known–Schulder–Boden, London 1853.

Corner Mate
Corner Mate, as the name suggests, is a checkmate pattern against an enemy king that is trapped in a corner. The actual
checkmate is often executed by a knight:

Diagram above: 1.Nf7+ demonstrates the checkmate pattern known as the Corner Mate. Note how the white rook on g1,
with the help of the black pawn on h7, traps the black king in the corner.
Corridor Mate
The Corridor Mate is reached when the enemy king can’t escape from check because it’s trapped along a rank, file or
diagonal (corridor):

Diagram above: 1.Qc4# is checkmate because black king is trapped on the c-file “corridor”. The Back Rank Mate that we
studied earlier is also a type of corridor mate.

Diagonal Corridor Mate

Diagram above: 1.Be4# demonstrates how a king could also be trapped and mated on a “diagonal corridor”.

Cozio’s Mate (Dovetail Mate)

Cozio’s Mate was originally a study published by Carlos Cozio, an Italian chess player from the 18th century.

Cozio’s Mate is also known as the Dovetail Mate since the arrangement of the pieces visually resemble a dove’s tail.
Damiano’s Mate
Damiano’s Mate is a checkmate pattern where a queen and a pawn (or queen and a bishop) coordinate their efforts
against a castled king. It can only work if the pawn shield in front of the enemy king has been compromised:

Diagram above: 1.Qh7# demonstrates the basic idea in Damiano’s Checkmate. Black’s rook obstructs f8. Another
important aspect of this mate is that the white pawn covers the escape square, f7. The same could be accomplished if
white had a bishop on g6, instead of a pawn.
Interesting Note on Damiano’s Mate
User KingBishop on chess.com reveals that this checkmate idea was first published by Pedro Damiano, a Portugese chess
player, in 1512. Furthermore, the well known advice “If you see a good move, try to find a better one”, is often attributed to
Lasker and other modern chess writers, but according to wikipedia, this advice is found in Damiano’s book–written more
than 500 years ago!

David and Goliath Mate

The David and Goliath Mate is a characterized by the fact that a humble pawn checkmates the opponent’s king:

Diagram above: 1.h4# proves it is quite possible for a pawn to deliver checkmate, with the help of other pieces and/or
pawns though. Although it appears unusual to deliver checkmate with a pawn, it is quite common in actual games.

Epaulette Mate
The Epaulette Mate resembles the visual appearance of an ornamental shoulder piece sometimes worn by elite military
personnel.

Diagram above: White plays 1.Qe6# The black rooks “decorate” the king’s shoulders.
Fool’s Mate
The Fool’s Mate (also known as the 2-move checkmate) is the quickest possible checkmate pattern in chess:

Diagram above: The Fool’s Mate is reached after the moves 1.f3 (or f4) e5 2.g4?? 2.Qh4# The white king can’t move to a
safe square and he can’t block the check either.
It is unusual for white to move the f-pawn and g-pawn on their first two moves, but it is still a fairly common occurrence
among beginners.

Greco’s Mate
Greco’s Mate occurs when the enemy king is trapped in a corner with the help of a bishop. It is a great example of how a
rook and bishop can coordinate to deliver checkmate:

Diagram above: 1.Rh1# demonstrates Greco’s Mate. The white bishop covers the escape-square, g8, whilst g7 is
occupied by one of black’s own pawns. The white rook delivers the checkmate along the open h-file.

Hook Mate
The Hook Mate is a very useful and instructive checkmate pattern that demonstrates optimal coordination between a rook
and knight. The pattern is named after it’s visual appearance that resemble a hook:

Diagram above: 1.Rh8# demontrates the Hook Mate. Note the optimal coordination between the rook and knight. The
knight must be supported though, in this case by the pawn on f5, else the black king could simply capture the knight.
Kill Box Mate
The Kill Box Mate occurs when a queen and rook work together to checkmate the enemy king in a box:

Diagram above: 1.Rd8# is a simple demonstration of the Kill Box Mate. Note how the queen defends the rook whilst also
containing the black king in a “box”.

Lawnmower Mate
The Lawnmower Mate is an easy checkmate typically performed by a queen and rook (or just two rooks). The two pieces
work together to push the enemy king to the side of the board. Since it is a very common checkmate pattern, it is one of
the first checkmate methods that a beginner should learn.

Diagram above: 1.Ra8# The Lawnmower Mate is named after the alternating advance of the 2 rooks that push the enemy
king all the way to the edge of the board. It is because of this “rolling” action that the pattern is sometimes referred to as
the Rook Roller’s Mate.

Légal’s Mate
Légal’s Mate is named after the French chess player, Sire de Légal (1702–1792). He commonly used the pattern in his
games. It’s important to note that the position below was reached after white played Nxe5, allowing the black bishop to
capture white’s queen on d1:

Diagram above: 1.Bxf7+ is not checkmate yet, but it will be mate after 1… Ke7 2.Nd5#
Lolli’s Mate
Lolli’s Mate is a common checkmate pattern performed by the cooperation between a queen and pawn, typically against a
castled king:

Diagram above: White plays 1.Qg7# The pawn defends the queen. This pattern is fairly common. Once the queen arrives
on h6 it is often impossible to defend against the mate threat.
This pattern is named after Giambattista Lolli, an Italian chess player from the 18th century.

Max Lange’s Mate

Max Lange’s Mate demonstrates great coordination between a queen and bishop:

Diagram above: 1.Qg8# demonstrates the Max Lange Mate. Note how white’s bishop covers g6, whilst black’s own pawn
obstructs the h6-square.
This checkmate is named after a German chess player from late 19th century, Max Lange.

Mayet’s Mate
Mayet’s Mate occurs when a rook is placed right next to the enemy king whilst the rook is supported by a distant bishop.
The king is further obstructed by his own pieces:

Diagram above: 1.Rd8# demonstrates the checkmate pattern. The rook is supported by a distant bishop whilst the enemy
king is also obstructed by his own pawns.
Mayet’s Mate is very similar to the Opera Mate. The difference is very subtle:
 The Opera Mate (diagram left) vs Mayet’s Mate (diagram right). Notice the difference in the placement and role of the
bishop. In the case of the latter, the bishop plays an even more important role by covering the square in front of the
enemy king.

How Famous Checkmate Patterns Got Their Names

The best checkmate moves in chess, or famous checkmate patterns, are usually named either after the first person who
executed the pattern or after the visual appearance of the mating pattern. In some cases their is another reason as to why
the mating pattern was named after the name of a chess player. Morphy’s Mate is an example of this.
Morphy’s Mate
Morphy’s Mate is named after the legendary American chess player, Paul Morphy. The checkmate is executed by a
bishop and rook:

Diagram above: This is a theoretical position that illustrates the concept of Morphy’s Mate. The black king is trapped in the
corner behind its own pawn. The king is also cut off by the white rook. White’s bishop delivers the checkmate.
From this discussion on a chess.com forum, you will notice that there is a fair amount of confusion about Morphy’s Mate.
There are mainly 2 reasons for this confusion:
1. The checkmate never actually happened in the game it was named after and
2. Paul Morphy was better known for other checkmate patterns, such as the Opera Mate (which coincidentally is also a rook
and bishop checkmate pattern).

Opera Mate
The Opera Mate is a checkmate pattern that was demonstrated by Paul Morphy–while watching Opera with the Duke of
Brunswick and Count Isouard, in Paris, 1858:

Diagram above: 1.Rd8# is the move that earned the Opera Mate it’s name. Paul Morphy played this game whilst watching
an opera show.
Pillsbury’s Mate
Pillsbury’s Mate occurs when a bishop controls the corner square next to a castled king, whilst a rook delivers the mate.
For this to happen, the pawn shield in front of the king must be compromised and black’s rook must still be next to the
king:

Diagram above: 1.Rg1 demonstrates Pillsbury’s mate. The main feature of this pattern is the role of white’s bishop that
covers the escape-square, h8.

Railroad Mate
The Railroad Mate is a checkmate method that combines the features of the Triangle Mate and the Kill Box Mate.
Together, it resembles an unstoppable train moving along a rail:

Diagram above: 1.Rh7+ Kg8, 2.Qf7# is the Railroad Mate. This interesting checkmate method demonstrates powerful
coordination between a queen and rook.

Reti’s Mate
Reti’s Mate is named after a famous game between two chess legends, Richard Reti and Savielly Tartakower. The
pattern is based on the X-Ray ability of a bishop (or queen):

Diagram above: 1.Bd8# A distinct feature of this checkmate pattern is that the bishop also covers b6 through its X-Ray
ability. This checkmate is further made possible by the fact that black’s own pawns and pieces further obstruct their king.
Scholar’s Mate
Scholar’s Mate (also known as the 4-Move Checkmate) is a very common checkmate pattern among beginners:

Diagram above: Qxf7# is checkmate because the black king can’t move to a safe square. At the same time, the white
queen is supported by the bishop on c4. Most of the time, Scholar’s Mate is reached by the moves 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 Nc6
3.Bc4 Nf6?? 4.Qxf7#

Smothered Mate
Smothered Mate is only possible if the enemy king is completely surrounded by his own pieces. This pattern also features
the unique jumping ability of the knight:

Diagram above: 1.Nf7# This simplified position demonstrates Smothered Mate. Note how the black king is completely
surrounded by his own pieces.

How Smothered Mate is Typically Executed

It’s useful to see an example of how Smothered Mate is usually achieved:

Diagram above: 1.Nh6+ Kh8 2.Qg8+ Rxg8 3.Nf7# demonstrates how Smothered Mate is usually achieved.
Even though it’s very unique, the Smothered Mate is a fairly common checkmate pattern. If you play chess often there is a
very real chance that you will someday get the opportunity to use this checkmate on your very surprised opponent. (Or
see the danger before it happens to you!)
Suffocation Mate
The Suffocation Mate is a checkmate pattern with a bishop and knight. The knight checks the king and the bishop
suffocates him (with the help of a few enemy pieces that further obstruct the king):

Diagram above: 1.Ne7# demonstrates the Suffocation Mate. The king is mostly obstructed by his own pieces and the
white bishop covers the open squares from a distance.
More Examples: Suffocation Mate

Swallow’s Tail Mate (Gueridon Mate)

Swallow’s Tail Mate visually resembles the appearance of a swallow’s tail. It’s also known as Gueridon’s Checkmate and
it’s similar to the Epaulette Mate:

Diagram above: 1.Qg5# The Swallow’s Tail Mate is an example of a checkmate pattern that is named after its visual
appearance. The two black pawns behind the king, which also prevents the king from escaping, visually resemble a
“swallow’s tail”. The white king (or another piece that supports the queen) can be seen as the swallow’s head.
The Dovetail Mate (also known as Cozio’s Mate) is another checkmate pattern named after the visual appearance of a
bird’s tail.

Triangle Mate
The Triangle Mate, also known as the Fish Tail Mate, resembles the visual appearance of a triangle (or a fish tail for that
matter). The checkmate also demonstrates good coordination between a queen and rook:

Diagram above: 1.Qf5# is a simple demonstration of the Triangle Mate. Note how the white queen, white rook and black
pawn on g7 resemble a triangle around the black king.
 Vukovic Mate
The Vukovic Mate is named after the International Master, Vladimir Vukovic, who showed this checkmate pattern in his
book “The Art of Attack in Chess”.
The pattern demonstrates powerful coordination between the rook and knight, with the help of a supporting piece:

Diagram above: 1.Rf7# is the Vukovic Mate. Note the important role of the knight (covering the escape squares e8 and
g8). The white pawn on e6 supports the rook, but this task could also be accomplished by any other piece that would
defend the rook.
Learn the Names of Famous Checkmate Moves
It is a good idea to learn and memorize the names of all the essential checkmate patterns. Why? Because knowing the
name of a checkmate pattern helps embed in your mind what the particular pattern looks like. This may in turn help you
identify possible opportunities in your games that you otherwise may have overlooked.
This page is a fairly comprehensive list of checkmate patterns. You may also enjoy going through the lists of checkmate
patterns on other chess websites:
 lichess
 wikipedia
 chessgames.com

7 Skills Chess Training Model, Checkmate Patterns fall under

The Fundamentals of Chess Tactics
There are 4 fundamental building blocks of chess tactics. All tactical combinations consist of one or more of these building
blocks. A good understanding of them is essential if you want to improve your tactical skill. They are:
1. Targets
2. Threats
3. Captures
4. Motifs
You can use them to create brilliant tactical combinations.
1. Targets
There can be no tactics without targets. In other words, if there aren’t any targets then you must either look for a way to
create new targets, or else improve your position. Study the common targets that make tactics possible.
Tactics flow from a superior position.
2. Threats
and checks. Simple but very effective, even if obvious. If a move seems obvious, more often than not it’s the best move.
Advice: Don’t try to outsmart obvious moves.
3. Captures
create new targets by changing (or removing) the roles of pieces.
4. Motifs (Tactical Themes or Patterns)
definition of motifs
The lists of tactics and checkmate patterns above are a great way to familiarize yourself with all the important tactical
motifs and mating patterns. It’s important to study them because the vast majority of tactical combinations that occur in
chess will be based on one or more of the patterns presented above.