Smothered Mate
Mate Article
Hello Chess for Children Kids! Today’s subject is part 1 of the series pretty checkmates. I am National Master Steve Colding and I will be your guide as we explore one of the most beautiful mates in all of chess. The first of these mates will be the Smothered Mate
Definition of Smothered Mate
History
It seems that this particular mate first appeared in a problem in a book by Luis Ramirez de Lucena published in 1497 . If you would like to read the book in its original Spanish click this link
The next example appeared in the book of Giacomo Greco in 1620. If you would like a PDF copy of his book you can do so by clicking below:
Gioachino_Greco_on_the_game_of_chess_Tra.
A problem appeared in Philidor’s book and this this lead to the mate being called by the name Philidor’s Legacy.
Examples
Examples of this mate can be seen in all three parts of the game. Nowadays it is very common. Does that take away from its beauty? I will show just one example for the opening, middle game, and ending. We will also give various games from tournament practice to show that this mate can happen to anyone.
Opening
Middle-Game
End-Game
Smothered Mate Video
