Basic Mating Patterns

White Moves in all instances unless otherwise stated.

QBM



QBM--Queen & Bishop Mate

1 Bg6+ Kg8, 2 Qh7+ Kf8, 3 Qf7 mate

RNM

RNM--Rook & Knight Mate

Arab mate

1 Nf6+ Kh8, 2 Rh7 mate or 1 .... Kf8, 2 Rf7 mate



BNEEdgemate

The Lock--Bishop & Knight Edge Mate





Thronemate--Back Rank BoxMate

Keep an eye out for this type of mate every time the opponent's king is castled King Side and has not moved the Three Musketeers--the 3 blocking pawns. A very common mate and very commonly overlooked.









QPOpRfBoxmate--Queen & Pawn Box Mate with Open Rook's File

Black to move--White wins
1...Kh7, 2 Qh4+ Kg8, 3 Qh6 and 4 Qg7 mate







2RSacOpRfQPBoxmate--Double Rook Sacrifice Queen & Pawn Boxmate with Open Rook's File

Damiano's mate

1 Rh8+ Kxh8, 2 Rh1+ Kg8, 3 Rh8+ Kxh8, 4 Qh1+ Kg8, 5 Qh7 mate

QPBackRankBoxmateOpRf--Queen & Pawn Back Rank Boxmate with Open Rook's File

1 Qh5 Be7, 2 Qh7+ Kf8, 3 Qh8 mate

QBBoxMateDischOpRf--Queen & Bishop Mate with Discovered Check and Open Rook's File

Black, to move, White to win.
1...g6! 2 Bxg6+ Kg8 3Qh7#

SmateQSac2ch--Smothered Mate with Queen Sacrifice and Double Check--Var: Queen & Knight Mate

Philidor's legacy

1 Nf7+ Kg8 2 Nh6+ Kh8 3 Qg8+ Rxg8 4 Nf7 mate--if 2.... Kf8 3 Qf7#

QSacRBBoxmate--Queen Sacrifice Rook & Bishop Boxmate

Morphy's mate

1 Qxf6 gxf6, 2 Rg1+ Kh8 3 Bxf6 mate

RBWindmillBoxmatePBlockRem--Rook & Bishop Windmill Boxmate with Pawn Block Removal

Morphy's Concealed Mate

1 Rxg7+ Kh8, 2 Rxf7+! Kg8, 3 Rg7+ Kh8, 4 Rg1+ Rf6, 5 Bxf6 mate

RNBoxmate--Rook & Knight Boxmate

1 Rd8+ Kf7, 2 Rf8 mate. If 1... kh7 2 Rh8 mate

RSacRNRFBoxmate--Rook Sacrifice Rook & Knight Rook's File

Anastasia's mate

1 Ne7+ Kh8, 2 Rxh7+ Kxh7 3Rh5#

Choppers--The Choppers, Seventh Rank Rook Attack

White to move mates in 3--Black to move draws
1 Rg7+ Kh8 2 Rh7+ Kg8 3 Rbg7#
1 .... Rd8 draws since White can check perpetually but cannot mate.

BilatBlockQMate--Queen Mate with Bilateral Blockage

Epaulette Mate

BilatDBlockQMate--Queen Mate with Bilateral Diagonal Blockage

Swallow's Tail

PPPinQPMate--Pawn Push with Pin Queen & Pawn Mate

1 g6 Bg8, 2 g7 mate or 1 ... other 2 Qxh7#

NBBoxmateDisch--Knight & Bishop Boxmate with Discovery Check

1 Nxf7+ or 1 Ng6+ or 1 Ng4+ Kf8 2Nh6#

2BBoxmateMate--Two Bishop's Box Mate

1 Be6 d4, 2 Bh2 and 3 Be5 mate

Qsac2BMate--Queen Sacrifice Two Bishop Mate

Boden's mate

Black to move and mate

1...Qxc3+ 2 bxc3 Ba3 mate

RSacRBBoxMate--Rook Sacrifice and Rook Bishop Boxmate

Pillsbury's mate

1 Rxg7+ Kh8, 2 Rg8+ Kxg8, 3 Rg1 mate

QSacB2NMate--Queen Sacrifice, Bishop & Two Knights Mate

Legal's mate

1 Nxe5! Bxd1? 2 Bxf7+ Ke7, 3 Nd5 mate

NBoxSacQsacSClearRxBMate--Knight Box Sacrifice, Queen Sacrifice, Self Clearance Exchange, RooK & Bishop Mate

Max Lange's mate

Black to move and mate
1...Bc5+ 2 Kh1 Ng3+ 3 hxg3 Qg5, 4 Rf5 h5! 5 Rxg5 hxg4 mate

QSacBRMate--Queen Sacrifice, Rook & Bishop Mate

Reti's mate

1 Qd8+ Kxd8, 2 Bg5+ Kc7, 3 Bd8 mate or 2 ... Ke8 3 RD8

QSacClear2BBoxMate--Queen Clearance Sacrifice and Two Bishops Boxmate

Blackburne's mate

1 Qh1 h6, 2 Qxh! gxh6, 3 Bh7 mate