Epaulette mate
An epaulette mate is a checkmate in which a queen checks a king whose two side squares are occupied by its own pieces, usually rooks, so it cannot step sideways.
The name describes the look: two pieces, normally rooks, sit on either side of the king like shoulder decorations. The king cannot move to those squares, and the queen's check takes away the rest. The queen delivers the check from a distance along the king's file, and it also covers the squares in front of the king.
With the black king on e8 and rooks on d8 and f8, a white queen on e6 checks along the e-file. It also covers d7 and f7 diagonally and e7 straight ahead, so the king has no flight square. A piece on d7 or f7, or a pawn, could capture the queen, so the pattern needs those squares empty.
To use it, look for a king whose neighbors on the same rank are friendly pieces and whose forward squares an attacking queen can cover. To avoid it, do not place two pieces beside your king, and keep a defender able to take the queen, such as a pawn on f7 or d7 or a piece on e7.
In the diagram White to move plays Qe6#. The queen goes from h3 to e6 and checks the black king on e8. The rooks on d8 and f8 block the sides, and the queen covers d7, e7 and f7.
Also worth reading is Boden's mate. 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.
It sits close to Fool's mate. Fool's mate is the quickest checkmate possible: Black mates on the second move with Qh4 after White has pushed the f and g pawns, which leaves the king's diagonal wide open.
It sits close to Swallow's tail mate. A swallow's tail mate is a checkmate in which a queen stands directly in front of the king, protected by another piece, while the king's own pieces occupy both squares beside it.
Knowing "Epaulette mate" helps most once you can spot it in a real game. A first lesson with George Li starts from your own games and finds the tactics you keep missing.
Related terms
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.
A back rank mate is a checkmate on a player's first or eighth rank, typically by a rook or queen, delivered when the king's own pawns leave it no square to step to.
A smothered mate is a knight checkmate against a king hemmed in by its own men: every square the king could use holds its own pieces, and a knight check cannot be blocked.
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 mating net is a setup in which the enemy king is surrounded by attackers and its own pieces so tightly that checkmate cannot be avoided, even if the final blow is a move or two away.
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