Basic checkmatesStep 1 of 6
The back-rank mate
The most common mate among beginners — and the single pawn move that stops it for good.
After castling your king sits safely behind three pawns. There is just one flaw: those three pawns also block his exit.
A king stuck on his back rank by his own pawns has nowhere to go. A rook or queen arriving on that rank is mate on the spot. This is the back-rank mate — by far the most common mate among beginners, in both directions: those who deliver it and those who walk into it.
Demonstration — use the arrows
Move list
The cure is called luft (German for “air”). Push one pawn — usually h7-h6 — and the king has an escape square. One move, and back-rank mate never works on you again.
Demonstration — use the arrows
Move list
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The advice: in almost every game, once you have castled and developed, make luft. It is a move that does nothing for twenty moves, and then saves the game.
You can practise it in the back-rank mate exercise.
Your turn
Your turn
White to move
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Move1 / 1
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Play your move on the board: drag a piece, or tap it and then tap its destination square.
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