What is Smothered Mate?
Checkmate Patterns : Smothered Mate Explained
Smothered Mate
Knight delivers checkmate with the king surrounded by its own pieces, typically in a corner.
The Smothered Mate is a checkmate pattern in chess where the king is checkmated by a knight and completely surrounded (or smothered) by his own pieces, hence there are no squares available for the king to move out of check. The surrounding pieces are typically pawns but could also include other pieces.
The king is smothered by its own defendersBoard is interactive - move a piece
Common smothered mate sequences
One of the most famous smothered mate patterns is the Philidor's Legacy or Philidor's Position. In this pattern, a queen and knight work together to force the enemy king into a surrounded position where it will eventually be checkmated by a knight.
For a smothered mate to occur, the enemy king has to be blocked in by its own pieces. This scenario eloquently displays how having too many pieces clustered in one area, especially around the king, can lead to vulnerability, not strength.