82
votes
Why is this a checkmate?
To get out of check, the king needs to move to a square that isn't attacked by any opposing pieces, or you need to capture/block attacking pieces such that the king is no longer under attack on its ...
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56
votes
How can I prevent checkmate in this position?
Initial Analysis
White is clearly in a dire situation, since Black is threatening mate in one on either h7 or h8 if White doesn't do anything. But the White king can't move nor can White get rid of ...
- 17.8k
54
votes
Accepted
How fast can checkmate occur by just moving the king?
Here is a starter solution in 7 moves.
Can we do better?
[FEN ""]
1.g3 e5 2.Bh3 Ke7 3.Bxd7 Kxd7 4.Kf1 Ke7 5. Kg2 Ke6 6.Kh3 Kf6+ 7.Kh4 Kg6#
If this is best, interestingly, the play is ...
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52
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How is this position possible in a normal game of chess?
Double check is only possible by using discovered check. So either the rook check or the bishop check was discovered by moving something in between on the previous move.
I don't see how that's ...
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48
votes
Accepted
47
votes
How fast can checkmate occur by just moving the king?
It's impossible to checkmate faster than 7 turns (handicap on black) or 8 turns (handicap on white).
Proof by elimination
I'm going to argue from the perspective that white is helping and black is ...
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44
votes
Accepted
How is this situation not a checkmate?
It is not checkmate because Black can interpose a piece to block the check from the bishop: move knight or queen to e6.
It's still only a miniscule delay for the inevitable.
[FEN "1rk4r/1p6/3p3q/...
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41
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Accepted
Is the position in this trick question reachable?
Even though the board is upside down, the position is still easily legal.
[FEN ""]
[startply "86"]
[StartFlipped "1"]
1. a4 h5 2. g4 h4 3. Bg2 Rh5 4. gxh5 h3 5. h6 e5 6. ...
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39
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Can a player in check win, by checkmating the opponent, while not getting themselves out of check?
For this kind of question, if you have doubts, just play chess with the goal of capturing the enemy king. The first player to capture the enemy king wins. This isn't the official rule, but it's ...
- 29k
38
votes
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Why is it not a checkmate?
Welcome to Chess Stack Exchange.
I believe you're doing well here. It is surely a checkmate. Probably the website isn't programmed that way to recognize that move. But, as per your question, this is ...
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37
votes
Can a player in check win, by checkmating the opponent, while not getting themselves out of check?
According the FIDE LAWS of CHESS:
3.9.2 No piece can be moved that will either expose the king of the same colour to check or leave that king in check.
So as @djnavas points out, if you are in check ...
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35
votes
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En Passant Checkmate
It is not checkmate if the other player has any legal move that gets them out of check. Capturing the checking piece is one such way; whether the capture is en passant or not is irrelevant for the ...
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35
votes
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Why can white not mate in this position from Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess (frame 73)?
The bishop on c2 can be moved to h7 to block the check.
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35
votes
Accepted
Is there a position with the stupidest possible move?
Every single legal move from White checkmates—except the extremely stupid Bd7. There are 12 (discovered) checkmates with the rook on g2 alone. After the stupid move, Black is forced to give checkmate ...
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34
votes
A position with the only legal move resulting in checkmate
I want to offer a semi-realistic example. I think I have seen something like this in a game by masters in some book, but of course I cannot recall where. But this is something that at least can be ...
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34
votes
Why is this position checkmate?
The queen is protected by the bishop on h2, so the black king cannot take the queen. Nothing else can take the queen and the queen covers b8 and d7.
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33
votes
Can a pawn move 2 spaces if doing so would cause en passant mate?
Can a pawn move 2 spaces if doing so would cause en passant mate?
Of course! There are no rules which forbid blundering mate in 1, even forced mate in one.
- 100k
32
votes
Accepted
Games where a pawn checkmates the king
One amazing game I know that ends in a pawn mate in one called The Polish Immortal in which Black sacrifices all four minor pieces to win the game! The pawn does a double-step to give the mate.
[Title ...
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32
votes
Accepted
Can a player resign after checkmating their opponent?
No, this is not possible.
for example move the piece, don't press the clock and then resign?
In particular, that loophole is explicitly covered by the rules:
6.2.1 During the game each player, ...
- 25k
29
votes
Accepted
How many different ways are there to checkmate in the early game?
There are no checkmates from 0-3 ply.
4 ply: 8 checkmates, 197,281 total nodes
5 ply: 347 checkmates, 4,865,609 total nodes
6 ply: 10,828 checkmates, 119,060,324 total nodes
7 ply: 435,767 checkmates,...
- 3,206
29
votes
What moves solve this mate in 2?
White to play checkmates in 2 with 1 d4+! exd3 e.p. 2 Qbf4#.
Black to play cannot checkmate in 2 but should win after Bxf7.
7r/1p3Q1p/2q5/3bk3/1Q2p3/2P5/r2P2PP/2KR4 w - - 0 1
1. d4+! exd3 2. Qbf4
- 8,314
27
votes
On an infinite board, which pieces are needed to checkmate?
In fact K+R+R can force checkmate against K on an open board.
First move both Rooks away from the King and to different rows and columns.
Then check the King with one Rook, say on a row.
Whichever ...
- 8,314
26
votes
How is this checkmate?
The position shown in board 2 is not a checkmate, as you correctly say.
The book is not completely clear here. The sentence "Checkmate with Queen and King" is only the task of an exercise: you have ...
- 1,149
26
votes
Why is this a checkmate?
Rook at d2 is pinned by the bishop at g5 and hence the rook can not capture the black queen at c2 checkmating the white king at c1.
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votes
Why is this a checkmate?
Since you are a beginner in chess first you need to understand the term pin in chess.
In chess, a pin is a situation brought on by an attacking piece in
which a defending piece cannot move without ...
- 1,381
25
votes
Accepted
Moving into check for a draw as black, why is it illegal? Comparison to Racing Kings
Imagine a variation of chess without the rules about check and checkmate, where a player wins simply when he captures his opponent's king. In this variation, Kxd5 loses the game to exd5.
Turns out, ...
- 532
25
votes
Accepted
How is mate guaranteed - Bobby Fischer 134
However, if black takes with Rook, then Knight takes' white's rook,
white rook to take knight, then black rook to take white rook. This
prevents the Qe8 mate, doesn't it?
No, it accelerates it. Let's ...
- 100k
24
votes
How often do grandmasters miss checkmate?
Probably more often than people realize.
There have been several notable instances where GMs (even world champions) have missed simple mates in one.
From my own experience, when I analyze my games the ...
- 4,339
24
votes
Would there be more decisive games if we began to see stalemates as checkmates? And hence more "interesting" chess?
Absolutely not. Making stalemate a win would be a sure way to make for less interesting chess. Any rule change which makes it easier to convert a small material advantage to a win, will ipso facto ...
- 4,117
23
votes
Why is it not a checkmate?
The sidebar says "1. Qe7# (1. Qc8#) (1. Qb8#)".
In case you're not yet familiar with chess notation, this means:
1. (White's move number 1)
Q (the Queen)
e7 (moves to space E7)
# (and ...
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