Smothered, Arabian, Anastasia's and Boden's mates: recognise the picture and the mate follows. This is a checkmate course with 9 lessons and 60 interactive exercises, suited to players rated around 700 (beginners). Every exercise is played on a real board with feedback after each move, there is nothing to install, and it is free.
Lessons in Mating patterns I
Boden's mate – Two bishops on criss-crossing diagonals mate a king hemmed in by its own pieces, typically after queenside castling.
The Arabian mate: first steps – Rook and knight against a king in the corner: the rook gives check right next to the king, the knight guards the rook and covers the escape square. Easier positions to start with.
Smothered mate – The king is boxed in by its own pieces, and a single knight check is mate. Often a queen sacrifice forces the last blocker into place.
Smothered mate, part 2 – The king is boxed in by its own pieces, and a single knight check is mate. Often a queen sacrifice forces the last blocker into place. More positions, a little harder.
Anastasia's mate: first steps – A knight covers the escape squares, the king's own pawn blocks the rest, and a rook or queen mates along the edge file. Easier positions to start with.
Anastasia's mate – A knight covers the escape squares, the king's own pawn blocks the rest, and a rook or queen mates along the edge file.
The Arabian mate – Rook and knight against a king in the corner: the rook gives check right next to the king, the knight guards the rook and covers the escape square.
The Arabian mate, part 2 – Rook and knight against a king in the corner: the rook gives check right next to the king, the knight guards the rook and covers the escape square. More positions, a little harder.
Mixed practice – All the ideas of this course, mixed: find the winning move without knowing the motif.
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