Checkmate
𐑗𐑧𐑒𐑥𐑱𐑑
Checkmate, or simply mate for short, is a check that the King cannot escape. Or, rather, if he can escape one check, it is only to immediately face another one, which is just as fatal. Either way, it is guaranteed that the King would be captured in the next move, and so the game is over.
The game is never played out beyond reaching checkmate, denying the victor the satisfaction of physically capturing their opponent's King. Chess is a logical game, and once the King's capture is inevitable, that satisfies the logic, if not more visceral appetites.
There are many ways to checkmate your opponent. Simple ones for beginners include the kiss of death and ladder mates.
As you will undoubtedly reach your share of endgames, in which few pieces remain, it's useful to know which combinations of pieces are capable of checkmate, and how they accomplish this.
Further reading
Encyclopedias
- The Oxford Companion to Chess David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld, 1984, ISBN 0-19-281986-0, pp. 62—63
Chess rules: Check | Checkmate | En passant | Stalemate
