Exercise 9.1Mate in 1
Black to move
White has just played 9.♗f1?. Find the move that punishes it.
9
Tactics Essentials · Kapilash Chess Academy
Checkmate Patterns
Back rank, smothered and more
In this lesson you will learn
- The back-rank mate and how to prevent it
- Smothered mate, Légal's mate and other classic patterns
- How to calculate forcing sequences that end in mate
- Why the king needs a flight square
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.
9.1 The Back Rank
The most common mating pattern in practical play is the back-rank mate: the king sits behind its own pawns, and a rook or queen reaches the back rank. One quiet pawn move — h3 or h6 — making a flight square (luft) prevents it.
Diagram 9.1White to move
Example 9.1 · Back-rank mate
Black's king has no flight square.
1.♖d8#. The pawns on f7, g7 and h7 that protect the king also imprison it.
Diagram 9.2Black to move
Example 9.2 · Légal's mate
Black's bishop pins the knight to the queen — or does it?
If Black takes the queen with 5...♗xd1?, the minor pieces deliver mate: 6.♗xf7+ ♔e7 7.♘d5#. The correct reply is 5...dxe5, and after 6.♕xg4 White has only won a pawn. This mate is over 250 years old and still works every day in club games. A pin on a knight is not absolute when the knight can create bigger threats.
Remember
- Back-rank mate: make luft in time.
- Smothered mate: the king is blocked by its own pieces.
- Mating attacks start with forcing moves.
- A pin to the queen is not a pin if mate follows.
Exercises · Lesson 9
Every exercise comes from real opening play and has been checked with a chess engine. Find the strongest move and play it on the board.
Exercise 9.2Mate in 1
White to move
Black has just played 7...exf4?. Find the move that punishes it.
Exercise 9.3Mate in 1
Black to move
White has just played 8.♗f1?. Find the move that punishes it.
Exercise 9.4Mate in 1
White to move
Black has just played 15...c5?. Find the move that punishes it.
Exercise 9.5Mate in 1
Black to move
White has just played 7.♗f1?. Find the move that punishes it.
Exercise 9.6Find the move
White to move
Black has just played 6...f6?. Find the move that punishes it.
Exercise 9.7Mate in 1
Black to move
White has just played 5.d3?. Find the move that punishes it.