What is Check?
Understanding when a king is in check
A check occurs when:
- A king is under attack by an opponent's piece
- The king must get out of check on the next move
- There are three ways to get out of check:
- Move the king to a safe square
- Capture the attacking piece
- Block the attack with another piece
What is Checkmate?
Understanding when a game ends in checkmate
Checkmate occurs when:
- A king is in check
- There are no legal moves to get out of check
- The game ends immediately
- The player whose king is checkmated loses
- The player who delivered checkmate wins
Common Checkmate Patterns
Learn to recognize and execute basic checkmates
Some common checkmate patterns include:
- Back Rank Mate: Using a rook or queen to checkmate on the back rank
- Scholar's Mate: A quick checkmate in four moves
- Smothered Mate: Knight checkmates a king surrounded by its own pieces
- Anastasia's Mate: Rook and knight combine to checkmate
- Arabian Mate: Rook and knight work together to checkmate