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Checkmate Patterns - Learning Chess Series

"A Back-Rank Mate is a checkmate delivered by a rook or queen along the back rank in which the mated king is unable to move up the board because the king is blocked by friendly pieces (usually pawns) on the second rank."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Back-Rank Mate

"The Hook Mate involves the use of a rook, knight, and pawn along with one blockading piece to limit the opponent's king's escape. In this mate, the rook is protected by the knight and the knight is protected by the pawn."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Hook Mate

"In Anastasia's Mate, a knight and rook team up to trap the opposing king between the side of the board on one side and a friendly piece on the other. This checkmate got its name from the novel "Anastasia und das Schachspiel" by Johann Jakob Wilhelm Heinse."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Anastasia's Mate

"The name of this pattern was coined by Polish master Dawid Janowski, referring to coupled rooks on a player's 7th rank as swine. For this type of mate, the rooks on white's 7th rank can start out on any two of the files from a to e, and although black pawns are commonly present, they are not necessary to affect the mate."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly and easily, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Blind Swine Mate

"Smothered Mate occurs when a knight checkmates a king that is smothered (surrounded) by his friendly pieces and he has nowhere to move nor is there any way to capture the knight. It is also known as "Philidor's Legacy" after François-André Danican Philidor, though its documentation predates Philidor by several hundred years."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Smothered Mate

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Double Bishop Mate

"In Boden's Mate, two attacking bishops on criss-crossing diagonals deliver mate to a king obstructed by friendly pieces, usually a rook and a pawn."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Boden's Mate

"The Balestra Mate is similar to Boden's Mate, but instead of two bishops, a bishop and a queen is used. The bishop delivers the checkmate, while the queen blocks the remaining escape squares."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Balestra Mate

"In the Arabian Mate, the knight and the rook team up to trap the opposing king on a corner of the board. The rook sits on a square adjacent to the king both to prevent escape along the diagonal and to deliver checkmate while the knight sits two squares away diagonally from the king to prevent escape on the square next to the king and to protect the rook."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Arabian Mate

"The Corner Mate works by confining the king to the corner using a rook or queen and using a knight to engage the checkmate."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Corner Mate

"Morphy's Mate is named after Paul Morphy. It works by using the bishop to attack the enemy king while your rook and an enemy pawn helps to confine it."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to learn to recognize patterns quickly, to then be able to evaluate more moves during gameplay, with less time and energy (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Morphy's mate

"Pillsbury's Mate is named for Harry Nelson Pillsbury and is a variation of Morphy's Mate. The rook delivers checkmate while the bishop prevents the King from fleeing to the corner square."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Pillsbury's Mate

"Damiano's Mate is a classic method of checkmating and one of the oldest. It works by confining the king with a pawn or bishop and using a queen to initiate the final blow. Damiano's mate is often arrived at by first sacrificing a rook on the h-file, then checking the king with the queen on the h-file, and then moving in for the mate. The checkmate was first published by Pedro Damiano in 1512."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Damiano's Mate

"Lolli's Mate involves infiltrating Black's fianchetto position using both a pawn and queen. The queen often gets to the h6 square by means of sacrifices on the h-file. It is named after Giambattista Lolli."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Lolli's Mate

"The Opera Mate works by attacking the king on the back rank with a rook using a bishop to protect it. A pawn or other piece other than a knight of the enemy king's is used to restrict its movement. The checkmate was named after its implementation by Paul Morphy in 1858 at a game at the Paris opera against Duke Karl of Brunswick and Count Isouard, known as the "The Opera Game"."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Opera Mate

"In Anderssen's mate, named for Adolf Anderssen, the rook or queen is supported by a diagonally-attacking piece such as a pawn or bishop as it checkmates the opposing king along the eighth rank."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Anderssen's Mate

"In the Dovetail Mate, the mating queen is one square diagonally from the mated king which escape is blocked by two friendly non-Knight pieces."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Dovetail Mate

"Cozio's Mate is an upside down version of the Dovetail Mate. It was named after a study by Carlo Cozio that was published in 1766."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Cozio's Mate

"The Swallow's Tail Mate works by attacking the enemy king with a queen that is protected by a rook or other piece. The enemy king's own pieces block its means of escape. It is also known as the Guéridon Mate."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Swallow's Tail Mate

"The Epaulette Mate is a checkmate where two parallel retreat squares for a checked king are occupied by its own pieces, preventing its escape."

Épaulette Mate

"Although the Pawn Mate can take many forms, it is generally characterized as a mate in which a pawn is the final attacking piece and where enemy pawns are nearby. The Pawn Mate is sometimes also called the David and Goliath Mate, named after the biblical account of David and Goliath."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Pawn Mate

"The Suffocation Mate works by using the knight to attack the enemy king and the bishop to confine the king's escape routes."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Suffocation Mate

"Greco's Mate is named after the famous Italian checkmate cataloguer Gioachino Greco. It works by using the bishop to contain the black king by use of the black g-pawn and subsequently using the queen or a rook to checkmate the king by moving it to the edge of the board."

Greco's Mate 

"Max Lange's Mate is named after German chess player and problem composer Max Lange. It works by using the bishop and queen in combination to checkmate the king."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Max Lange's Mate

"Blackburne's Mate is named for Joseph Henry Blackburne. This checkmate utilizes an enemy rook (or bishop or queen) to confine the black king's escape to the f8 square.. One of the bishops confines the black king's movement by operating at a distance, while the knight and the other bishop operate within close range."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Blackburne's Mate

"Réti's Mate is named after Richard Réti, who delivered it in an 11-move game against Savielly Tartakower in 1910 in Vienna. It works by trapping the enemy king with four of its own pieces that are situated on flight squares and then attacking it with a bishop that is protected by a rook or queen."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Réti's Mate

"In Légal's Mate, the knight moves into a position to check the king. The bishop is guarded by the other knight, and the enemy pieces block the king's escape."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Légal's Mate

"The Kill Box Mate occurs when a rook is next to the enemy king and supported by a queen that also blocks the king's escape squares. The rook and the queen catch the enemy king in a 3 by 3 "kill box"."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Kill Box Mate

"A Triangle Mate is delivered by a queen attacking an enemy king, while it is supported by a rook. The queen and rook are one square away from the enemy king. They are on the same rank or file, separated by one square, with the enemy king being between them one square away, forming a triangle. The king must be restricted from escaping to the middle square behind it away from the queen and rook, by the edge of the board, a piece blocking it, or by controlling that square with a third piece."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

Triangle Mate

"In the Vukovic Mate, a rook and knight team up to mate the king on the edge of the board. The rook delivers mate while supported by a third piece, and the knight is used to block the king's escape squares."

Front of each card: image of problem
Back of each card: best solution using notation

The goal of this series is to make evaluation of positions during gameplay easier, faster and more effective through improved pattern recognition (chunking).

Source for flashcard content in this deck: https://lichess.org/practice

FlashcardNotes

Checkmate Patterns - Learning Chess Series

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