Smothered mate
A knight mates a king walled in by its own pieces
Try this lesson in Chess40Step 1
A king surrounded by its own pieces can be mated by a knight alone: it cannot step away, and a knight's check can never be blocked.
Step 2
The knight jumps to f7: smothered mate.
The moves: 1. Nf7#
Step 3
Philidor's famous trick: the queen gives herself up on g8. The rook must take her, walling in its own king, and the knight mates.
The moves: 1. Qg8+ Rxg8 2. Nf7#
Step 4
White to play: mate in two, Philidor's way.
White to move.
Show the answer
Solution: 1. Qg8+ Rxg8 2. Nf7#
Step 5
Why can't the smothered king escape?
- Its own pieces fill every square around it
- The knight attacks every square
- Kings cannot move in the corner
Show the answer
Answer: Its own pieces fill every square around it