--- title: "Checkmate in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/checkmate" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "Checkmate, or mate, ends a chess game at once. Once that position appears on the board the game is over and the mating side has won; nothing more is played." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/stalemate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/king-and-queen-checkmate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mating-attack.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/rules-notation.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Checkmate in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. Checkmate, or mate, ends a chess game at once. Once that position appears on the board the game is over and the mating side has won; nothing more is played. Checkmate, or mate, ends a chess game at once: the king of the side to move is under attack, and none of that side's legal moves can remove the attack, so the player who delivered it wins. The [Laws of Chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rules-of-chess.md) put mate at the center of the game: each player's objective is to attack the opposing king so that the opponent has no legal move left. Once that position appears on the board the game is over and the mating side has won; nothing more is played. To confirm a mate, test the three ways out of any check. The king has no safe square to step to, the checking piece cannot be captured, and nothing can be put in the way. Only when all three fail is it mate. Most mates follow familiar shapes. In a back-rank mate the king is shut in by its own pawns; in a [smothered mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md) a knight checks a king hemmed in by its own pieces; in a [ladder mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/ladder-mate.md) two heavy pieces drive a king to the edge one rank at a time. Learning these patterns makes them visible in your own games. A position in which the side to move is not in check but has no legal move is something else, a stalemate, and it is a draw. In winning endgames, check that your [quiet move](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/quiet-move.md) still leaves the opponent a legal reply. Learn the basic mates in order: king and queen, king and rook, then [two bishops](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bishop-pair.md), and later bishop and knight. Tip: in a [mating attack](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mating-attack.md), look for checks that take away the last free squares around the king. Also called: mate. Compare it with [Arabian mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/arabian-mate.md). An Arabian mate is a corner checkmate where a rook gives the check from beside the king, and a knight, a jump away from the rook, guards it and covers the one flight square the rook leaves open. Also worth reading is [Boden's mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bodens-mate.md). Boden's mate is a checkmate in which two bishops attack along diagonals that cross, one giving check and the other cutting off flight squares, while the king's own pieces block the rest. A neighboring idea is [Check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md). Check is the state of a king that stands attacked by one or more opposing pieces; the player whose king it is must end the attack with the very next move, because no legal move may leave one's own king attacked. Knowing "Checkmate" is the easy part; what to practice next depends on your rating, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) list the habits worth building at each level. ## Related terms - [Check](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md) - [Stalemate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/stalemate.md) - [Back rank mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md) - [Smothered mate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md) - [King and queen checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/king-and-queen-checkmate.md) - [Mating attack](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mating-attack.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid. - [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each. - [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li. ## Sources - FIDE Laws of Chess (taking effect from 1 January 2023) (Articles 1.4 and 1.4.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023 - FIDE Laws of Chess (taking effect from 1 January 2023) (Article 5.1.1), read 2026-10-21: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023 [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Check in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/check.md) - [Stalemate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/stalemate.md) - [Back rank mate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/back-rank-mate.md) - [Smothered mate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/smothered-mate.md) - [King and queen checkmate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/king-and-queen-checkmate.md) - [Mating attack in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/mating-attack.md) - [Chess terms: Rules, notation and equipment](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/rules-notation.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)