Checkmate Patterns Explained

Knight and rook (or queen) deliver checkmate with the opponent’s king trapped by its own pieces.

A rook and pawn deliver checkmate on the back rank

Rook and knight deliver checkmate with the knight controlling escape squares.

Rook or queen delivers checkmate with the king trapped by its own pawns on the back rank.

Queen and Bishop coordinate for checkmate

Bishop and knight deliver checkmate by controlling squares around the opponent’s king.

Two bishops and a knight coordinate for checkmate

Two rooks on the seventh rank deliver checkmate.

Two bishops deliver checkmate by attacking diagonally after a sacrifice opens lines towards the opponent’s king.

Checkmate with the king trapped in the corner by its own pieces.

AKA Back Rank Mate.

Queen and pawn deliver checkmate with the pawn controlling escape squares and the queen delivering check.

A protected Pawn delivers checkmate

Two bishops deliver checkmate by controlling diagonals around the opponent’s king.

Two knights cannot force checkmate, but they can force stalemate.

Two rooks deliver checkmate by controlling the files around the opponent’s king.

Queen or rook delivers checkmate with the king trapped by its own rooks (or other pieces) on adjacent squares.

AKA Triangle Mate

Fastest checkmate, achieved in two moves due to poor opening play by the opponent, typically involving the queen.

Bishop and queen deliver checkmate with the bishop controlling key diagonals and the queen delivering check.

The hook mate utilizes a rook, knight, and pawn, along with an opposing pawn, to restrict the enemy king's movement and achieve checkmate.

Rook and queen deliver checkmate by forming a "box" around the opposing king.

King and queen deliver checkmate by forcing the opponent’s king to the edge of the board and delivering check.

King and rook deliver checkmate by forcing the opponent’s king to the edge of the board and delivering check.

Two major pieces (such as two queens, two rooks, or a rook and a queen) collaborate to drive the opposing king to the edge of the board

AKA Ladder Mate

Knight and bishop deliver checkmate after a queen sacrifice, exploiting weak f7 (for Black) or f2 (for White) squares.

Queen and pawn work together to deliver checkmate with the queen delivering check and the pawn controlling escape squares.

Queen and bishop deliver checkmate

Rook, supported by a bishop, delivering checkmate