Greco's mate
A bishop protects a queen that delivers checkmate to a king cornered by its own rook.
Greco's mate is named after Gioachino Greco, a 17th-century Italian chess master who documented many tactical patterns. The pattern involves a queen delivering checkmate on the h-file while a bishop on the long diagonal protects the queen, and the enemy king's own rook occupies its only flight square.
This mate arises naturally after a kingside attack where the defender's rook is still on the g-file. The king ends up on h8 with no escape: the queen on h7 gives check, the bishop protects the queen from a long diagonal, and the king's own rook on g8 blocks the only other exit.
Qh7# - Greco's mate
White's queen on h7 delivers checkmate via the h-file. The black king on h8 cannot take the queen because it is protected by the bishop on b1 (along the b1-c2-d3-e4-f5-g6-h7 diagonal). The king cannot go to g8 because its own rook is there. Queen, bishop, and enemy rook combine for this elegant finish.
Key chess terms
Related mating patterns
See all checkmate patterns →See mating patterns in YOUR games →
Free. Chess2EZ finds every checkmate you missed or delivered and explains each in plain English.
Analyze my games →