Boden's mate
Two crisscrossing bishops deliver checkmate on an open diagonal when the king is blocked by its own pieces.
Boden's mate features two bishops on criss-crossing diagonals trapping a king - usually on the queenside - while its own pieces block the only escape routes. The geometry is memorable: both bishops point at the king from different diagonal directions, and no single move can block both attacks.
Samuel Boden played this mate in 1853 in London, making it one of the earliest named patterns in chess history. The classic version arises after an early queen trade brings the king to the c8 square, where two bishops on a6 and h3 (or similar squares on the two diagonals through c8) deliver the final blow.
Boden's mate - two bishops on criss-crossing diagonals
Both white bishops attack c8 from different diagonals. The bishop on a6 checks along the a6-b7-c8 diagonal. The bishop on h3 covers d7, stopping that escape. The black king on c8 is completely trapped: b8 is the knight, d8 is the rook, c7 is the pawn, b7 is covered by Ba6, and d7 is covered by Bh3. Two diagonal lines crossing at the king.
Bxb7+! - driving the king to c8 for Boden's mate
White sacrifices a bishop with Bxb7+, forcing the black king from d8 to c8. After 1.Bxb7+ Kc8, White plays 2.Ba6#, delivering Boden's mate. The bishop on a6 checks via the b7-c8 diagonal, and Black's own pieces on b8, d8, and nearby squares complete the cage.
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