Back-rank mate
The king is stuck behind its own pawns.
Very common
Treasury of mating patterns
WorksheetEvery click puts together 20 new puzzles of Treasury at random to print – or 10, 30 or 40, 10 a page, with a page of solutions if you like.As a PDF: choose “Save as PDF” in the print window of the browser.Mate has few faces.
Most mates follow a handful of pictures. Whoever has seen them once recognises them in every game – in their basic form and where the great masters brought them onto the board.
Treasury of mating patterns
The basic forms.
Every mating pattern in its simplest form: as few pieces as needed to make the pattern clear. A click on its name leads to its page.
Smothered mate
The knight mates, the king’s own pieces block every escape.
Very common
Kiss of death
The queen stands right in front of the king and is protected – here by the white king.
Very common
Corridor mate
The king is shut in on one file, its own pawns block the side.
Very common
Epaulette mate
The king’s own rooks sit beside it like epaulettes.
Very common
Swallow’s tail mate
Like the epaulette mate, only diagonal: the king’s own rooks block the squares diagonally behind it.
Very common
Arabian mate
Rook and knight, already known in the old Persian and Arabic manuscripts.
Rook, knight, bishop
Anastasia’s mate
The knight blocks, the rook strikes along the edge.
Rook, knight, bishop
Hook mate
Rook, knight and pawn: the rook gives check, protected by the knight, which the pawn protects.
Rook, knight, bishop
Morphy’s mate
The bishop gives check on the long diagonal, the rook closes the file beside it.
Rook, knight, bishop
Pillsbury’s mate
The rook gives check on the file, the bishop cuts the king off from the corner.
Rook, knight, bishop
Boden’s mate
Two bishops cross in front of the long-castled king.
Rook, knight, bishop
Blackburne’s mate
Two bishops and a knight: one bishop mates, the knight protects it, the other holds the long diagonal.
Rook, knight, bishop
Anderssen’s mate
The rook mates on the edge, protected by a pawn, which the king protects.
Rook, knight, bishop
Damiano’s mate
The queen mates, protected by a pawn – the king is shut in by its own pieces.
Named classics
Greco’s mate
The bishop closes the diagonal, the queen mates on the edge file – the king’s own pawn shuts it in.
Named classics
Lolli’s mate
Pawn and queen break into the fianchetto: the queen mates, protected by the pawn.
Named classics
Max Lange’s mate
The queen mates, protected by the bishop, which also holds an escape square.
Named classics
Cozio’s mate
The queen mates diagonally beside the king, two of its own pieces block its escape.
Named classics
Mayet’s mate
The rook mates on the back rank, protected by a bishop from afar.
Named classics
Vuković’s mate
The rook mates, protected by the king, the knight holds the escape squares beside the king.
Named classics
David and Goliath mate
A pawn mates the king – the smallest piece beats the greatest.
Named classics