Part of the Endgames JourneyNewJourneyHow to Checkmate: the Basic Mates
The wins you must never fail to deliver. Six chapters teach each basic mate as a method - the staircase, the box, the wall - and have you force it against a defending king that runs, then close with the two bishops and a chapter on the stalemate alarm that has to ring before every one of them.
26 lessons26 challenges
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Syllabus
This section is part of the Endgames Journey. The full syllabus has more sections: click any preview below to view it on the Journey page.
Section 1
Basic Mates
Start sectionStartThe wins you must never fail to deliver: two heavy pieces, king and queen, king and rook, a queen with a helper, the two bishops - and the stalemate alarm that must ring before every one of them.The Staircase
5 lessons5King and Queen
5 lessons5King and Rook
5 lessons5Queen and a Helper
4 lessons4Stalemate Alert
4 lessons4Two Bishops
3 lessons3- Section 2The King and the Pawn26 lessons
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See every idea on a real board. Each lesson shows you the position, explains what is happening on it, then asks you a question about it.
Every game starts here. The two arrows are the classical first moves.
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Promotion zoneEvery way to learn
Read, listen, test yourself, or look up anything you've already covered. Every lesson meets you where you are.
The chessboard is a grid of 64 squares, 32 light and 32 dark, in a pattern where the colors always alternate.
Set it up so that each player has a light square in their bottom-right corner.
Files run up the board and ranks run across it. Together they give every square its own name.
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Chess Fundamentals
Add to LinkedInWhy learn the basic mates with Coddy
- Every mate is a method, not a memory. The staircase with two heavy pieces, the box with king and queen, the wall with king and rook: you learn the shape of the net, then tighten it move by move against a king that always runs the right way.
- You force it yourself. Each lesson hands you the position and a defender that takes every escape, so a mate is only counted when you have actually delivered it, in the number of moves the method needs.
- The stalemate alarm gets its own chapter. The alarm is the moment the defending king has no moves left; hearing it before the mate - with the queen, with the rook - is what separates a won ending from a drawn one.
- Puzzles after every chapter. Heavy pieces, king and queen, king and rook, queen and a helper, two bishops: each closes with a puzzle set and a recap that asks for the mate without a hint.
Frequently asked questions about the basic checkmates
How do you checkmate with a king and queen?
Build a box around the enemy king with the queen a knight's move away from it, shrink the box until the king is on the edge, bring your own king up to guard the mating square, then deliver mate. The King and Queen chapter teaches the box, bringing the king, and the finish, and warns of the stalemate that waits one careless move away.
How do you checkmate with a king and rook?
Use the rook as a wall to cut the king off, bring your king to face the enemy king, and when the kings stand opposite each other give check to push the enemy king back a rank. A waiting move with the rook forces the opposition when you need it. The King and Rook chapter drills the wall, facing kings and the waiting move.
What is the staircase (ladder) mate?
The mate with two heavy pieces - two rooks, a queen and a rook, or two queens. One piece takes a rank away from the king, the other takes the next, and they alternate up the board like steps until the king is mated on the edge. It is the first chapter because it needs no help from your own king.
Can you checkmate with two bishops?
Yes, but it takes technique: the bishops work side by side to build a diagonal wall, your king drives the enemy king to a corner, and the bishops deliver mate there. It is the last chapter of the section and the hardest of the basic mates.
How do I avoid stalemate when I am winning?
Before every move in a mating attack, check that the enemy king still has a legal move after it - or that your move is check. The Stalemate Alert chapter names that check the alarm, drills it with the queen and with the rook, and closes with puzzles where the only wrong moves are the stalemates.
How long does it take to learn the basic mates?
A few days of short sessions. The section is 26 lessons, each a few minutes with a board task; king and queen and king and rook come first because they are the two you will actually need most, and both can be learned in an evening.
