What is Smothered mate in chess?
Checkmate by a knight when the king is boxed in by its own pieces.
The king is surrounded by friendly pieces and can't move, so a knight check ends the game. The classic pattern uses a queen sacrifice to force it.
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Analyze my games →More chess terms
- Perpetual checkAn endless series of checks that forces a draw by repetition.
- Elo ratingA number that estimates a player's strength from their results.
- BlunderA move that throws away material or the game, usually for nothing.
- ForkOne piece attacking two or more enemy pieces at the same time.
- PinA piece can't move because doing so would expose a more valuable piece behind it.
- SkewerLike a pin in reverse: a valuable piece is attacked and must move, exposing a piece behind it.