Basic Checkmates

The mating patterns every player needs by heart — the back rank, and driving a lone king to the edge with a queen, a rook, or two rooks.

1. 1The back-rank mateA king hemmed in by its own pawns is mated by a rook or queen on the back rank.
2. 2Queen and king vs kingShrink the box with the queen, march your king up, then mate on the edge.
3. 3Rook and king vs kingThe rook cuts off a rank; your king does the pushing. Mate comes on the edge.
4. 4Two rooks — the ladderAlso called the lawnmower: the rooks alternate checks and walk the king to the edge.
5. 5Mate in oneFour positions, four patterns. Find the checkmate in each.
6. 6Smothered mateA knight checks a king that its own pieces have walled in — the one mate a knight can force alone.
7. 7The Arabian mateRook and knight trap a king in the corner — the rook covers two escape squares, the knight covers the third.
8. 8Anastasia's mateA knight on e7 seals the g-file squares; a rook swings to the h-file and mates the king against the edge.