Mating motifs: Smothered mate

The smothered mate is very rare in games, but it is one of the most famous mating motifs. It is also very beautiful because it often includes a queen sacrifice. Basically, the mating motif always works with a knight that checkmates the opponent's king. In fact the opponent's king has been "smothered" by his own pieces, as they take away all his escape squares. This works best when the king is in the corner or on the edge of the board. Most of the time, the knight is supported by other pieces.

The smothered mate can be roughly divided into four types:

Smothered mate 1 / knight + queen sacrifice

This is probably the most common smothered mate. In this case, knight and queen usually give a double check so that the queen can sacrifice herself. As a result, the opponent has to block his king's last escape square so that the knight can mate.

Here are more examples:

Smothered mate 2 / knight + queen sacrifice + other pieces

In most cases, in addition to the knight and the queen sacrifice, other pieces are needed to mate the opponent's king.

Here are more examples:

Smothered mate 3 / knight

This is the simplest smothered mate. Only one knight is needed to mate the opponent's king.

Here is another example:

Smothered mate 4 / knight + other pieces

In this typ of smothered mate, the knight is supported by other pieces that help him to mate the opponent's king.

Here are two more examples:

Opening trap including a smothered mate

Finally, I would like to show you an opening trap in the Caro-Kann defense.

I hope you could learn something new. You can practise the smothered mate in the section "Puzzle Themes" on Lichess. You can replay the positions and other positions here.

Have fun and see you in the next blog!

The Mathe-Ass