TacticsPlay as white

Corner Mate

A knight gives the final check to a king in the corner while a rook or queen on the neighbouring file or rank takes away every escape square — the knight checks, the rook holds.

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Introduction

The corner mate is a knight's checkmate. A rook or queen stands on the file or rank next to the king and takes away the squares it could run to; then a knight gives the check — and a knight's check cannot be blocked. The king's own pieces usually close the rest of the corner. It arrives most often when a king is pushed to the edge with a pawn or a bishop still standing beside it.

Lesson Content

Try this position

The corner mate has two parts: a rook that holds the squares beside the king, and a knight that gives the check. Black's king on g6 is not in the corner yet, but White can push it there. Rg8+ checks along the back rank, and the king has a single square: the pawn on g4 covers f5 and h5, the pawn on e5 covers f6, the rook covers g7, and f7, g5 and h6 are Black's own pawns — so the king must go to h7. There the knight on h5 jumps to f6 with check, the rook on g8 holds the whole g-file, and Nf6 is checkmate.

Mating NetKing Attack

Try this position

1. ..Rg8+

Rg8+ checks along the back rank and drives the king into the corner. Every square but one is taken: the pawn on g4 covers f5 and h5, the pawn on e5 covers f6, the rook covers g7, and f7, g5 and h6 are Black's own pawns. So 1. ..Kh7 is forced — and then Nf6 is checkmate: the knight gives the check, the rook on g8 covers g6, g7 and h8, and Black's own pawn on h6 blocks the last square.

Mating NetKing Attack

Alternative Moves

Nf6 — Nf6 puts the knight on its mating square, but without check Black has time: 1...h5 opens h6 for the king, and after Rg8+ Kh6 there is no mate at all — the game is level, and the forced win is gone.

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2. Nf6#

Checkmate in the corner. The knight on f6 gives the check, and no piece can block a knight. The rook on g8 takes away g6, g7 and h8; the king cannot capture the rook, because the knight protects it; and Black's own pawn on h6 closes the last square. Rook holds the file, knight strikes — that is the corner mate.

Mating NetKing Attack

Try this position

The same pattern with the king already in the corner. Black's king on h8 has its own bishop on f8 beside it, and White's rooks on b7 and f7 share the seventh rank. Black is a bishop up and the rook on d2 pins the f2-pawn to White's king, so anything slower than a mate loses the game. Rh7+ checks from right next to the king, and the rook on b7 protects it along the seventh rank — the king cannot take it and must step to g8. Then the knight on h5 goes to f6 with check: the rook on h7 covers f7, g7 and h8, the bishop on f8 blocks the king's own last square, and Nf6 is checkmate.

Mating NetKing Attack

Try this position

3. Rh7+

Rh7+ checks from the square beside the king. The king cannot take the rook, because the rook on b7 protects it along the seventh rank, and the rook on h7 also covers g7 — so 1. ..Kg8 is forced, and the king stays in the corner. Next comes Nf6, checkmate: the knight checks g8, the rook on h7 covers f7, g7 and h8, and the bishop on f8 blocks the last square.

Mating NetKing Attack

Alternative Moves

Rxf8+ — Rxf8+ wins the bishop with check, but 1...Rxf8 takes the rook straight back: the piece that held the seventh rank is gone, the king has g8 and g7 again, and White is a rook down with the pinned f2-pawn about to fall — a lost endgame instead of a mate.

Try this position

3. ..Nf6#

Checkmate. The knight on f6 checks the king on g8. The rook on h7 covers f7, g7 and h8, and the knight protects it, so the king cannot take it; the bishop on f8 — Black's own piece — blocks the last square. A rook beside the king, a knight for the check: the corner mate.

Mating NetKing Attack

Try this position

Black's king on h5 stands on the edge, and White's rook on g4 covers the whole g-file beside it. The pawn on h4 is protected by that rook, and Black's own pawn on h6 blocks the king's retreat. Which knight move is checkmate?

Mating NetKing Attack

Try this position

In the corner mate, which piece gives the final check — and what does the other piece do?

Mating Net

Key Takeaways

The knight gives the check, the rook holds the squares — the reverse of the Arabian mate.
A rook check from the back rank or the seventh rank drives the king into the corner first.
The king's own pieces beside it — a pawn on h6, a bishop on f8 — do half of the work.

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

Hook Mate

Sacrifice and King Attack

Opera Mate

Summary

Corner mate: a rook or queen on the file or rank beside the king takes away its escape squares, and a knight gives a check that cannot be blocked. Push the king into the corner with a rook check first, then let the knight strike — the king's own pawns and pieces close the rest.

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Next in this course

Anastasia's Mate

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