Treasury of mating patterns · Named classics
David and Goliath mate
A pawn mates the king – the smallest piece beats the greatest.
The mating move
g4#
All mating patterns
From a game
1620
Greco’s miniature
After the queen sacrifice the bishop mates via f7 – the king’s own pieces take every other square
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1750
Légal’s mate
Knight and bishop, after the queen bait
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1851
Minor-piece mate
Three small pieces against the whole black army
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1852
The Evergreen mate
The bishop takes on e7 with check, protected by the pawn on f6 – the second bishop takes e8 from the king
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1858
Opera mate
Rook on the back rank, bishop covers
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1910
Réti’s mate
Double check, then the bishop
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1912
King hunt
The king is driven all the way to g1
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1956
Fischer’s net
Rook, bishop and knight surround the king
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Very common
Very common
Back-rank mate
The king is stuck behind its own pawns.
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Very common
Smothered mate
The knight mates, the king’s own pieces block every escape.
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Very common
Kiss of death
The queen stands right in front of the king and is protected – here by the white king.
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Very common
Corridor mate
The king is shut in on one file, its own pawns block the side.
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Very common
Epaulette mate
The king’s own rooks sit beside it like epaulettes.
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Very common
Swallow’s tail mate
Like the epaulette mate, only diagonal: the king’s own rooks block the squares diagonally behind it.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Rook, knight, bishop
Arabian mate
Rook and knight, already known in the old Persian and Arabic manuscripts.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Anastasia’s mate
The knight blocks, the rook strikes along the edge.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Hook mate
Rook, knight and pawn: the rook gives check, protected by the knight, which the pawn protects.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Morphy’s mate
The bishop gives check on the long diagonal, the rook closes the file beside it.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Pillsbury’s mate
The rook gives check on the file, the bishop cuts the king off from the corner.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Boden’s mate
Two bishops cross in front of the long-castled king.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Blackburne’s mate
Two bishops and a knight: one bishop mates, the knight protects it, the other holds the long diagonal.
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Rook, knight, bishop
Anderssen’s mate
The rook mates on the edge, protected by a pawn, which the king protects.
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Named classics
Named classics
Damiano’s mate
The queen mates, protected by a pawn – the king is shut in by its own pieces.
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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.
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Named classics
Lolli’s mate
Pawn and queen break into the fianchetto: the queen mates, protected by the pawn.
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Named classics
Max Lange’s mate
The queen mates, protected by the bishop, which also holds an escape square.
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Named classics
Cozio’s mate
The queen mates diagonally beside the king, two of its own pieces block its escape.
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Named classics
Mayet’s mate
The rook mates on the back rank, protected by a bishop from afar.
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Named classics
Vuković’s mate
The rook mates, protected by the king, the knight holds the escape squares beside the king.
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Named classics
David and Goliath mate
A pawn mates the king – the smallest piece beats the greatest.
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