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What Checkmate Looks Like

Checkmate means the king is in check and has no legal answer. Checkmate ends the game at once.

Queen and king mate

Black king is on g8. White queen is on g7 and White king is on f6. Black is in check and has no legal move.

FEN: 6k1/6Q1/5K2/8/8/8/8/8 b - - 0 1

a b c d e f g h
8 . . . . . . k . 8
7 . . . . . . Q . 7
6 . . . . . K . . 6
5 . . . . . . . . 5
4 . . . . . . . . 4
3 . . . . . . . . 3
2 . . . . . . . . 2
1 . . . . . . . . 1
  a b c d e f g h

Queen gives mate in one

White queen is on f6 and White king is on g6. White plays Qg7, and Black king on g8 has no answer.

FEN: 6k1/8/5QK1/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1

a b c d e f g h
8 . . . . . . k . 8
7 . . . . . . . . 7
6 . . . . . Q K . 6
5 . . . . . . . . 5
4 . . . . . . . . 4
3 . . . . . . . . 3
2 . . . . . . . . 2
1 . . . . . . . . 1
  a b c d e f g h

Rook gives mate in one

White rook is on a1 and White king is on g6. White plays Ra8, and Black king on h8 has no answer.

FEN: 7k/8/6K1/8/8/8/8/R7 w - - 0 1

a b c d e f g h
8 . . . . . . . k 8
7 . . . . . . . . 7
6 . . . . . . K . 6
5 . . . . . . . . 5
4 . . . . . . . . 4
3 . . . . . . . . 3
2 . . . . . . . . 2
1 R . . . . . . . 1
  a b c d e f g h

Key points

  • Checkmate needs check. A king that is not in check cannot be checkmated.
  • Checkmate needs no legal move. The king cannot move, capture, or hide behind another piece.
  • Every square the king could move to is attacked or occupied.
  • Checkmate often comes from a queen or rook with help from another piece or from the edge of the board.
  • The side that gives checkmate wins the game. There is no move after checkmate.

Try it Yourself

Edit the code, then press Run.

Running is simulated · Rust Playground

Exercise

White queen is on f6, White king is on g6, Black king is on g8. Which move is checkmate?