Mating Patterns

Checkmate is the move that forces the end of the game. It is the ultimate goal, but achieving it is not easy. Knowing different checkmating patterns can help us win the game.

There are countless checkmating patterns, but here are some of the most basic ones:

Ladder Mate

In the ladder mate, two rooks or a rook and a queen work together to force the enemy king toward the edge of the board, where it has no escape, leading to checkmate.

Back-Rank Mate

Once the king is placed in the corner, a knight and a rook work together to checkmate it. The knight restricts the king’s movement, while the rook slides over to deliver checkmate.

Anastasia's Mate

Back-rank mate occurs when the king is trapped by pawns or other friendly pieces, and no piece can stop a rook from delivering checkmate on the last rank.

In this type of checkmate, the opposing king is on the side of the board, and our king is positioned directly in front of it, blocking its escape squares so that our rook or queen can deliver checkmate from the side.

Checkmate with a Rook or Queen

Arabian Mate

In this pattern, the king is on the side of the board, and a rook delivers checkmate while a knight and an opponent’s piece block its escape squares.

Smothered Mate

The key piece in smothered mate is the knight. The king is trapped in the corner by its own pieces, and the knight delivers checkmate since none of the surrounding pieces can capture it. There are several variations of this mate, and in some cases, it even involves sacrificing the queen.