A Rare Smothered Mate

Here's a 3/0 that I just played:



I think this is my first smothered mate.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
That's a narrow defintion in my opinion. The following looks to me like smothered mate as well

[fen]6bk/7p/8/8/8/2B5/8/7K b - - 0 0[/fen]

this would also be a smothered then



and how about this one?

Strangely Crafty evaluates 12 ... Qg1+ as a blunder. It suggests 13 Nxg1 Bf2. Am I missing something here?

after 13.Nxg1! your knight is still pinned by the rook so no smothered mate available

Originally posted by watchyourbackrank
this would also be a smothered then

[fen]6bk/7p/8/8/8/2Q5/8/7K b - - 0 0[/fen]

and how about this one?

[fen]6rk/6p1/8/8/8/7R/8/7K b - - 0 0[/fen]

And why not? In each case, the only escape routes are blocked by the defender's own material.

Originally posted by watchyourbackrank
after 13.Nxg1! your knight is still pinned by the rook so no smothered mate available

Oh, wow. Very lucky for me.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
And why not? In each case, the only escape routes are blocked by the defender's own material.

No,because one escape route,g7,is blocked by the attacking piece.

Of course,if you want to rewrite the definition that is fine.I'm not emotionally attached to Renaud & Kahn's definition 🙂

toet.

Originally posted by Mephisto2
That's a narrow defintion in my opinion. The following looks to me like smothered mate as well

[fen]6bk/7p/8/8/8/2B5/8/7K b - - 0 0[/fen]

Trouble is - what's the limit on your definition? You expand it to allow the attacker to control 2 squares, so long as there is a single attacker. Why not 3, 4 or 5?

To be pendantic a true smothered mate
can only be delivered by a Knight.
The King must be in check and all flight squares must be
occipied by the King's own pieces.

Most of the other mates shown are epaulette or reversed epaulette mates,
or dovetail and reversed doevetail mates.

This one.

[/b]

is a corridor mate the cousin of the back rank mate.

What would this be called?

Originally posted by Mad Rook
What would this be called?

[fen]3NkB2/2NRPR2/8/8/p7/8/8/3Q1K2 b - - 0 1[/fen]

madness 😀

toet.

Hi amolv

Yes you rode your luck. The mating pattern took over the mind.
Often happens in Blitz with mixed results.
I think most of us have played a blitz combination only to find the
critical piece is pinned.



1.NxQ wins. He played 1.RxQ and was mated.

Witness your chums playing C.C. who where not so lucky.

Afriend - PML RHP 2007

Black to play.



Black can play Nf2+ or QxN but the chance to play the
smothered mate could not be resisted.

He played 1....Qg1+ 2.KxQ



OOPS! 1-0

At times like this you wish you could see the guys face
when he logged on and saw the move 2.KxQ.

This one is worse.

pradtf - fredryck RHP 2002.

White to play



White has mate in 4 starting with 1.Nf7+

He played 1.Qg8+



Looks good. 1...RxQ 2.Nf7 Mate or 1...NxQ 2.Nf7 Mate.

Black played 1....KxQ 0-1

Originally posted by Mad Rook
What would this be called?

[fen]3NkB2/2NRPR2/8/8/p7/8/8/3Q1K2 b - - 0 1[/fen]

A total ass-kicking 😀

Originally posted by Mad Rook
What would this be called?

[fen]3NkB2/2NRPR2/8/8/p7/8/8/3Q1K2 b - - 0 1[/fen]

🙂

All the flight squares in your posted example are covered by
protected White pieces.

In a genuine Smothered Mate all flight squares must be covered
by the mated King's own pieces.

Please allow me to demonstrate using your example.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
🙂

All the flight squares in your posted example are covered by
protected White pieces.

In a genuine Smothered Mate all flight squares must be covered
by the mated King's own pieces.

Please allow me to demonstrate using your example.

Hey, where'd that extra white knight go, up your sleeve? 🙂

-------------------------------------




I guess my real question is, why should it matter who's doing the smothering, as long as the king is smothered? Maybe this could be a "two-tone" smothered mate, or a "rainbow" smothered mate (okay, a rainbow of very limited colors). It seems to me the traditional definition is really a "self-smothered" mate.