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ChessOps - EARLY MATING

The object of the game is to 'checkmate' the enemy king, the term checkmate originating from the Persian shah mat ("the king is dead"). The guide includes a few examples of early checkmate:

Famous Mates:
  • Fool's Mate
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  • Smothered Mate (KP)
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  • Legall's Mate
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  • Blackburne Shilling Mate
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  • Scholar's Mate
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  • Smothered Mate (QP)
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  • Sea Cadet Mate
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  • "Hippopotamus" Mate
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    Other Short Mates from Traps:
  • In Ponziani Gambit
  • In Mortimer Trap
  • In Staunton Gambit
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  • In KGD.
  • In KGA.
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  • In Sicilian (Close Var.)
  • In Bird (Williams G.)
  • In Dutch (Korchnoi G.)
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    Other Famous Short Games:
  • Anderssen-Kieseritzsy, London 1851
  • Anderssen-Dufresne, Berlin 1852
  • Morphy-Brunswick/Isouard, Paris 1858
  • Reti-Tartakover, Vienna 1908
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    The guide also has two famous examples of successful mating attacks in typical endgame positions:
  • Greco's Mate
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  • Philidore's Legacy
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    • In an endgame, the minimum of pieces necessary to force checkmate against a solitary king are:
    • Queen alone (aided by the king).
    • Rook alone (aided by the king).
    • Two rooks.
    • Two bishops (aided by the king).
    • Knight and bishop (aided by the king) - rare.
    • Three knights (aided by the king), one promoted - rare.
    When exchanging pieces you must always ensure that you are left with sufficient material with which to checkmate. Against a solitary king you cannot force checkmate with only:
    • One bishop (aided by the king).
    • One knight (aided by the king).
    • Two knights (aided by the king) unless there are other pieces on the board as well.
    Basics Terms.5 - Opening Categories Terms.7 - Foreign Names of Pieces