Solve
Rating 1092Black to move. Mate in one.
Puzzle
Black to move. Mate in one.
Your move.
Solve it to see the moves
5 of 5 free puzzles left today
Smothered mate puzzles
A smothered mate is a knight checkmate against a king that is surrounded by its own pieces and has no square to move to.
- 4,806 puzzles
- Average rating 1058
How to spot a smothered mate
- The knight cannot be blockedA knight check can only be answered by moving the king or capturing the knight.
- Force the pieces closerA queen sacrifice next to the king often makes a rook recapture and take the last free square.
- Watch the cornerMost smothered mates happen with the king in the corner behind its own pawns.