Checkmates - chess term
Checkmates
Definition
A checkmate is the final, decisive position of a chess game in which the side to move is in check (its king is attacked) and has no legal move that removes, blocks, or captures the attacking piece. Because the king cannot escape attack, the game ends immediately and the side delivering the checkmate wins.
Usage in Play and Notation
In algebraic notation the symbol # (sometimes ++) is appended to the mating move, e.g.
24. Qh8#. A completed scoresheet usually includes the word “mate” or simply “1–0” / “0–1”.
Tournament directors verify checkmates only if a dispute arises; otherwise players are expected to recognize that the position is final.
Strategic Significance
- Ultimate Objective: All positional, tactical, and material considerations are subordinate to the goal of delivering checkmate.
- Planning: Players often work backward from mating patterns, arranging pieces so that threats become unavoidable.
- Psychological Edge: A spectacular mating combination can be demoralizing and may become a memorable highlight of a player’s career.
Common Checkmating Patterns
- Back-Rank Mate – The enemy king is trapped behind its own pawns on the first (or eighth) rank, e.g.
Qd8#. - Smothered Mate – A knight delivers mate while the king’s own pieces block its escape, often via the maneuver
…Nf2#. - Scholar’s Mate – A four-move mating attack (
1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Qxf7#) familiar to beginners. - Boden’s Mate – Two bishops on crossing diagonals trap a castled king, e.g.
Bc4#. - Arabian Mate – Rook and knight coordinate in the corner:
…Rg1+ 2. Rxg1 Nf2#.
Illustrative Mini-Game
The following eight-move miniature shows a classic back-rank theme.
Historical & Cultural Notes
- The Persian phrase “shāh māt” (“the king is helpless”) is the linguistic ancestor of the Modern English “checkmate.”
- Paul Morphy’s 1858 “Opera Game” ends with a dazzling queen sacrifice followed by a sweeping mate – still a staple of instruction today.
- Garry Kasparov famously checkmated Veselin Topalov in Wijk aan Zee 1999 with a king-hunting sequence now nicknamed “Kasparov’s Immortal.”
- The fastest proven checkmate is Fool’s Mate:
1. f3 e5 2. g4 Qh4#, requiring only two moves by Black.
Interesting Facts
- Computers must detect checkmate exhaustively; engines such as Stockfish announce “
mate in 7” when a forced line is found. - Many composed chess problems feature helpmates or selfmates, artistic cousins to checkmate where one side cooperates in its own demise.
- World-class players sometimes overlook a mate: in the 1971 Candidates Match, Bobby Fischer missed a two-move mate against Tigran Petrosian but still won the game.
Key Takeaways
Checkmate is the defining aim of chess; knowing classic mating patterns accelerates tactical vision and endgame technique. Whether executed by a beginner with Scholar’s Mate or by a grandmaster in a 40-move masterpiece, the concept remains the same: corner the king with no escape.