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Boden's Mate

Two bishops on crossing diagonals mate a king that castled long — one checks from a6 to c8, the other covers b8 and c7, and a queen sacrifice on c6 opens the way.

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Introduction

Boden's mate is the criss-cross: two bishops on two diagonals meeting in front of a king, usually one that castled on the queenside. The king's own pieces block its other squares. The pattern almost always starts with a sacrifice — most often a queen takes on c6 to drag a pawn off the diagonal.

Lesson Content

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Boden's mate is two bishops crossing in front of a king that castled long. White's bishop on f4 already looks down the diagonal to c7 and b8. The bishop on c4 wants the other diagonal, a6–c8 — but the pawns on b7 and c6 stand in the way. A queen sacrifice removes both: Qxc6+ forces bxc6, the b7-pawn leaves the diagonal, and Ba6 is checkmate.

Mating NetSacrifice
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1. ..Qxc6+

The queen takes the pawn with check, and Black has a single reply: 1. ..bxc6 — the king cannot go to b8 because the bishop on f4 covers it. That recapture pulls the b7-pawn off the a6–c8 diagonal, and Ba6 is checkmate.

Mating NetSacrifice
Alternative Moves
Ba6 — Ba6 arrives too early: the b7-pawn still shields the king, Black answers 1...Nd5 and consolidates, and the mate is gone — White has given up the attack and Black's extra pawns start to count.
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2. Ba6#

Checkmate. Two bishops, two diagonals, one king: the bishop on a6 checks along a6–c8, the bishop on f4 covers b8 and c7, and Black's own rook on d8 and knight on d7 fill the rest. A queen for a checkmate is a good trade.

Mating NetSacrifice
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The king does not have to be castled. Here it is stuck on e8, with its own bishop on f8 and pawn on f7 beside it. White's bishop on g5 covers d8 and e7, and the bishop on d1 can take the knight on a4 with check along the a4–e8 diagonal. Black's only way out of that check is to block with the bishop on b5 — and then Bxb5 is checkmate, the two bishops crossing on e8 exactly as they crossed on c8.

Mating Net
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3. Bxa4+

Bxa4+ wins a knight and checks along the a4–e8 diagonal. The king cannot move — d7 is on that same diagonal, d8 and e7 belong to the bishop on g5 — so Black must block with 1. ..Bb5, and Bxb5 is checkmate.

Mating Net
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3. ..Bxb5#

Checkmate — Boden's criss-cross with the king on e8: one bishop checks from b5 and covers d7, the other on g5 covers d8 and e7, and Black's own pawn on f7 and bishop on f8 do the rest.

Mating Net
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Black has castled long. White's bishop on f4 aims at c7 and b8, and the bishop on d3 is one move from a6 — but the pawns on b7 and c6 are in the way. Which move breaks in?

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What is the shape of Boden's mate?

Mating Net

Key Takeaways

  • Count the diagonals: one bishop already aiming at the king's escape squares, one diagonal to open.
  • A sacrifice that forces a pawn off the diagonal is the price — a queen for checkmate is cheap.
  • The king does not have to be castled; any king with its own pieces beside it can be caught in the criss-cross.

Now play it through

Step through every move on a real board, try the wrong ones, and ask Knighty why they fail.

Practice Interactively

Related Lessons

Arabian Mate

Deflection and Decoy

Clearance and Interference

Summary

Boden's mate: two bishops crossing in front of a king — one checks, the other covers the diagonal squares beside it — while the king's own pieces block the rest. A queen sacrifice on c6 is the usual way to open the second diagonal.

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Next in this course

Double Bishop Mate

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