Mate in 3
Chess Puzzle No. 297: Is the black king really safe on his back rank?
23
Oct
Oct
After Qxe6, White to play against a black king confined to the back rank. See if you can find the sequence that seals the game in three moves.
Mate in 3HardWhite to play
White to play and mate in 3
Puzzle: Lichess open database (CC0) · Pieces: Cburnett, Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
See the solution explained
Qd8+ gives check to the black king and leaves only two possible replies.
Rxd8 is the forced capture of the queen by the black rook.
Rxd8+ recaptures on d8 with check, leaving the black queen just a single square to run to.
Qe8 is Black’s only legal reply to the check.
Rxe8# captures that queen and delivers checkmate to the king on g8, which has no escape from the check.
The motif to remember: a sacrifice on the back rank exploits a weakly protected king to force a corridor mate in three moves.
The back-rank mate is one of the oldest and most widely taught motifs in chess, where a rook exploits a king boxed in by its own pawns. To practise with handsome pieces, a classic Staunton chess set is a reliable choice, as is a chess board with built-in storage to keep the pieces close at hand.
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