As chess players, we all yearn for that perfect moment we can trap our opponents, strangle them with pieces and watch them slowly give up to their helplessness. Ah, what a sight! However, reaching up to that point is not easy and sometimes, we tend to make a few minor miscalculations or give into carelessness that backfires our strategies for a perfect checkmate.
On our previous posts, we shed light on some of the best endgame strategies to give you a basic idea on finishing a game and today, we will touch upon some of the best checkmates you should know as a beginner to win against your opponents. As you keep playing, you can find patterns in movements and piece positions. It is at that time that you get back to the basics and combine your intellect to come up with the best finisher.
1) The Two-pawn Checkmate
This is one of the most common endgames, where one side of the board has just the king and the other side has the king and two points. One pawn stands right opposite to the opponent’s king and has the other pawn and guarding its back, with the king next to it. With the opponent king having no position to take, you have a perfect checkmate with you.
2) Smothered Checkmate
This is one of the rarer checkmates in a game because it involves going for a checkmate with just the knight. This happens when the king is surrounded by his own pieces and is completely landlocked. If you see a position where the king is cornered or devoid of a move, going with your knight for the kill would be a classic move. What’s more appealing? Checkmate with your knight when other significant pieces are still intact on your board!
3) The Two-bishop Checkmate
When you double up your side with two adjacently placed bishops, your board is more powerful during the endgame period. This effective strategy locks the opponent’s king from moving to any position, when he is locked from moving forward by his own pawn or that of yours. With the king allowed to just take one step, he is prohibited from any because of the bishops taking care of the black and white lines respectively, resulting in a checkmate from remote
4) The Rook and The Queen Checkmate
The Queen and the rook are two solid individual pieces but combine them together on a strategy and their strength multiplies by manifold. When your opponent’s king is locked with just one side to move, you can line up the side with the queen and the rook for a sacrifice- and-checkmate or a direct checkmate.
So these are some of the best checkmates you can use to finish your game. To quickly identify patterns and moves, you need to keep playing and practicing. An online tool like chesskid.com can help you play and track your progress, allowing you to get better by playing and learning from your games. If you have any other effective checkmate strategy, share them on your comments.