Hook mate
A hook mate is a checkmate in which a rook gives check next to the king, a knight guards the rook, a pawn guards the knight, and one of the defender's own pawns blocks the last flight square.
Four units take part. The rook checks from a square touching the king, the knight stands where it defends the rook, and a pawn defends the knight, so neither attacker can be taken for free. Between them the rook and knight cover almost every square around the king, and a pawn of the defender's own fills the one that is left.
With the king on f8, as in the example, the knight on d6 guards e8 and also takes f7, the rook on e8 sweeps e7 and, through the king, g8, and Black's pawn on g7 occupies the last square. The pawn on c5 protects the knight, so removing it would cost the defender material.
Look for the pattern when the enemy king is stuck on the back rank near the center, a knight can settle on d6 or f6 with a pawn behind it, and a rook has an open file to the eighth rank.
Defending starts with that knight: attack it with a pawn or trade it before it is anchored. Moving the g-pawn to give the king g7, or keeping a rook on the back rank to capture on e8, also stops the mate.
Order matters for the attacker. Settle the knight and its pawn first, make sure the file is open, and only then bring the rook to the back rank; a rook check without the knight in place just drives the king away.
It sits close to Opera mate. An opera mate is a back-rank checkmate in which a rook delivers mate on the eighth rank while a bishop guards that rook and also controls the square in front of the king.
A neighboring idea is Back rank mate. 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.
It sits close to Smothered mate. 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.
Knowing "Hook 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
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.
A mating attack is a sustained assault on the enemy king, usually built from several pieces and often with sacrifices, whose aim is checkmate rather than winning material.
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.
A battery is two of your pieces lined up on one file, rank or diagonal, with the rear piece backing up the front one so that both press on the same target.
Guides that go further
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