Exercise 3.1★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
3
Attacking the King · Yatish Chandra Shukla
The Queen and Her Partners
One check, one helper
In this lesson you will learn
- Why the queen needs a partner to mate next to the king
- Mates with queen and bishop, queen and knight, queen and pawn
- The epaulette mate
- How to bring the partner into position before the queen arrives
Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.
3.1 The Kiss of Death
The queen is the strongest piece on the board, but alone she rarely mates a castled king. If she checks from a distance, the king can step aside or a piece can block. If she checks from the very next square, the king simply takes her. The solution is a partner: a second piece that protects the queen on the square next to the king. Players sometimes call this the "kiss of death".
The partner can be any piece — even a pawn — and it does not have to be close. A bishop on d3 protects h7 from five squares away. What matters is the line from the partner to the queen's mating square.
NoteWhen you attack a castled king, look for the squares next to it — usually g7 and h7 (or g2 and h2). If one of your pieces already covers such a square, your queen only needs to reach it.
3.2 Building the Battery
Often the partner and the queen line up on the same diagonal or file, one behind the other. This is called a battery. A queen in front of a bishop on the b1–h7 diagonal, or in front of a rook on the h-file, is a typical example. The defender must keep the target square covered at all times; if the defending piece is removed or deflected even for one move, the queen strikes.
When you see your queen and a partner aiming at the same square next to the enemy king, count the defenders of that square. If there is only one, look for a way to remove it — we study this in detail in Chapter 10.
LessonA queen mate next to the king needs exactly two things: a partner that protects the mating square, and no defender that can capture the queen there.
3.3 Worked Examples
Cover the text under each diagram, find the mate, then read on.
Diagram 3.1Black to move
Example 3.1
Black to move. Find the mate in one.
Find the key move.
| Check | How the defender escapes | Mate? |
|---|---|---|
| 1...♘e2+ | The king can step away (♔f1). | NO |
| 1...♘f3+ | The checking piece can be captured (♗xf3); the king can step away (♔f1). | NO |
| 1...♕c1+ | The check can be blocked (♗f1). | NO |
| 1...♕xg2# | No escape: checkmate. | MATE |
Solution. 1...♕xg2# — The queen lands next to the king, protected by a pawn.
Diagram 3.2White to move
Example 3.2
White to move. Find the mate in one.
Find the key move.
| Check | How the defender escapes | Mate? |
|---|---|---|
| 1.♗xf7+ | The king can step away (♔h8, ♔xf8). | NO |
| 1.♕xf7+ | The king can step away (♔h8). | NO |
| 1.♕xg7# | No escape: checkmate. | MATE |
Solution. 1.♕xg7# — The queen lands next to the king, protected from afar by a bishop.
Diagram 3.3White to move
Example 3.3
White to move. Find the mate in one.
Find the key move.
| Check | How the defender escapes | Mate? |
|---|---|---|
| 1.♘e7+ | The checking piece can be captured (♖xe7); the king can step away (♔h8, ♔f8). | NO |
| 1.♘xh6+ | The checking piece can be captured (gxh6); the king can step away (♔h8, ♔f8). | NO |
| 1.♕d8+ | The check can be blocked (♖e8); the king can step away (♔h7). | NO |
| 1.♕xg7# | No escape: checkmate. | MATE |
Solution. 1.♕xg7# — The queen lands next to the king, protected by a knight.
Diagram 3.4Black to move
Example 3.4
Black to move. Find the mate in 2.
Find the key move.
Solution. 1...♕f1+ 2.♕d1 ♕xd1# — the final position is the queen lands next to the king, protected by a knight. Other defences do not help:
1...♕f1+ 2.♕e1 ♕xe1#.
Diagram 3.5Black to move
Example 3.5
Black to move. Find the mate in 2.
Find the key move.
Solution. 1...♘h3+ 2.♔f1 ♕xf2# — the final position is the queen lands next to the king, protected by a knight.
Diagram 3.6White to move
Example 3.6
White to move. Find the mate in 3.
Find the key move.
Solution. 1.♕g8+ ♗e8 2.♖xe8+ ♔d7 3.♕e6# — the final position is the queen lands right next to the king, protected by another piece.
Remember
- Next to the king, the queen needs a partner to protect her.
- The partner can be a bishop, knight, rook, pawn or even the king.
- Queen and partner on one line form a battery. Count the defenders of the target square.
- The epaulette mate shows that the king's own pieces can be its worst enemies.
Exercises · Lesson 3
In every puzzle the queen gives mate with the help of a partner. Find the partner first, then the mating square.
Exercise 3.2★★ · Mate in 1
Black to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.3★★ · Mate in 1
Black to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.4★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.5★★ · Mate in 1
Black to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.6★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.7★★ · Mate in 1
Black to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.8★★ · Mate in 1
Black to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.9★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.10★★ · Mate in 1
Black to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.11★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.12★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.13★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.14★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.15★★ · Mate in 1
White to move
Mate in one.
Exercise 3.16★★ · Mate in 2
Black to move
Mate in 2.
Exercise 3.17★★★ · Mate in 2
White to move
Mate in 2.
Exercise 3.18★★★ · Mate in 2
White to move
Mate in 2.
Exercise 3.19★★★ · Mate in 2
Black to move
Mate in 2.
Exercise 3.20★★★ · Mate in 2
Black to move
Mate in 2.
Exercise 3.21★★★ · Mate in 2
Black to move
Mate in 2.
Exercise 3.22★★★ · Mate in 2
Black to move
Mate in 2.
Exercise 3.23★★★ · Mate in 3
White to move
Mate in 3.
Exercise 3.24★★★ · Mate in 3
White to move
Mate in 3.
Exercise 3.25★★★ · Mate in 3
White to move
Mate in 3.