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TacticsPlay as white

Mate in Two

Force the king to the square you want, then finish it.

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Introduction

A mate in two is a mate in one with a preparation move. The first move is always forcing — a check or a threat your opponent cannot ignore — and it drives the king onto the square where the second move finishes the job. Work backwards: picture the mate, then find the move that forces it.

Lesson Content

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Black's king on h8 is hemmed in by its own rook on f8 and pawn on g7, and the white king on g6 already covers h7 and f7. If the white queen could reach h7 with support, that would be checkmate — but from d5 it cannot get there in one move.

Mating Net
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1. ..Qh5+

The queen steps onto the h-file with check. The king cannot stay on the file and every other square is taken or covered, so it has to go to g8 — exactly where White wants it, because Qh7 is then checkmate.

Mating Net
Alternative Moves
h5 — A slow pawn move hands over the initiative: Black plays 1...Qe8+ and now it is the white king that has to run while Black's attack builds — and the mate White was one move from is gone.
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2. Qh7#

Checkmate. The queen is defended by the king on g6, the black king cannot take it, and f8 is blocked by Black's own rook.

Mating Net
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A different shape with the same logic. The black king is stuck on h5: the pawn on g5 is its own, and the white knight on e5 covers g6 and g4. The h-file is the way in — a rook arriving there gives a check the king cannot run from, and that is the mate.

Mating Net
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3. Rh8+

The rook swings to the h-file with check. Black has nothing better than 1. ..Rh7 to block, and that rook is not defended — so Rxh7 is checkmate.

Mating Net
Alternative Moves
Rxf3 — Winning the pawn throws the whole idea away — Black replies 1...Be6 and holds the game comfortably.
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3. ..Rxh7#

Checkmate — this pattern is called Anastasia's mate. The rook takes the blocker and the knight on e5 covers the only flight squares.

Mating Net
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The white bishop on f6 covers g7 and h8. Which first move forces mate in two?

Mating NetBack Rank
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How should you look for a mate in two?

Mating Net

Key Takeaways

  • The first move of a mate in two is always forcing.
  • Your opponent's own pieces are often the reason the king cannot escape.
  • Learn the shapes — Anastasia's mate and the back-rank mate turn up again and again.

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

Back-Rank Mate

Mate in One

Clearance and Interference

Summary

Mates in two are found backwards. Ask where the king could be mated, notice which of your pieces already cover its escape squares, and then look for the forcing move — usually a check — that leaves your opponent no choice.

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Practice Interactively

Next in this course

Trapped Pieces

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