Bible Chess

Smothered Mate Puzzles with Answers

12 puzzles · rated 1293 to 1776 · answers under each board

A smothered mate is a checkmate by a knight against a king that cannot move, because its own pieces fill every square around it. Only the knight can do it: it jumps, so its check cannot be blocked.

The classic version, known as Philidor’s Legacy, uses a queen sacrifice next to the king to force a rook into the last free square before the knight lands.

How to solve them

The side to move is at the bottom of each board. White’s pieces are gold and Black’s are stone, drawn as the biblical figures of Bible Chess: the queen is a Judge, the rook a Tower, the bishop a Prophet, the knight a Scout and the pawns are Shepherds.

Puzzle 1: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1293

White: king h1, rook f1, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king g8, queen e3, knight h3.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qg1+ 2. Rxg1 Nf2#

  1. Queen e3 to g1, check. White answers: rook f1 to g1, taking the queen.
  2. Knight h3 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0F9In (CC0)

Puzzle 2: White to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1312

White: king g1, queen e6, knight f7. Black: king g8, rook f8, pawns g7 and h7.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Nh6+ Kh8 2. Qg8+ Rxg8 3. Nf7#

  1. Knight f7 to h6, check. Black answers: king g8 to h8.
  2. Queen e6 to g8, check. Black answers: rook f8 to g8, taking the queen.
  3. Knight h6 to f7. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 1QcDl (CC0)

Puzzle 3: Black to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1316

White: king g1, rook f1, bishop g2, pawn h2. Black: king h7, queen e3, knight f2.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Nh3+ 2. Kh1 Qg1+ 3. Rxg1 Nf2#

  1. Knight f2 to h3, check. White answers: king g1 to h1.
  2. Queen e3 to g1, check. White answers: rook f1 to g1, taking the queen.
  3. Knight h3 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 5CZpB (CC0)

Puzzle 4: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1326

White: king h1, queen d4, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king h7, rook f8, knight g4.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Rf1+ 2. Qg1 Nf2#

  1. Rook f8 to f1, check. White answers: queen d4 to g1.
  2. Knight g4 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 1eS4k (CC0)

Puzzle 5: Black to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1339

White: king g1, rook f1, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king g8, queen d4, knight f2.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Nh3+ 2. Kh1 Qg1+ 3. Rxg1 Nf2#

  1. Knight f2 to h3, check. White answers: king g1 to h1.
  2. Queen d4 to g1, check. White answers: rook f1 to g1, taking the queen.
  3. Knight h3 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 3LJ4z (CC0)

Puzzle 6: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1367

White: king h1, queen d4, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king g8, rook f8, knight d3.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Rf1+ 2. Qg1 Nf2#

  1. Rook f8 to f1, check. White answers: queen d4 to g1.
  2. Knight d3 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 04lPa (CC0)

Puzzle 7: White to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1386

White: king g1, rook f1, knight e5. Black: king h8, queen e6, pawns g7 and h7.

Hint

Your rook moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Rf8+ Qg8 2. Nf7#

  1. Rook f1 to f8, check. Black answers: queen e6 to g8.
  2. Knight e5 to f7. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 4Dt0k (CC0)

Puzzle 8: White to move, mate in 3

MediumRating 1397

White: king h1, queen e6, knight f7. Black: king g8, rook f8, pawns g7 and h7.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Nh6+ Kh8 2. Qg8+ Rxg8 3. Nf7#

  1. Knight f7 to h6, check. Black answers: king g8 to h8.
  2. Queen e6 to g8, check. Black answers: rook f8 to g8, taking the queen.
  3. Knight h6 to f7. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0Fi7Q (CC0)

Puzzle 9: Black to move, mate in 2

MediumRating 1454

White: king a1, queen b3, knight b1, pawns a2 and b2. Black: king b8, queen a6, knight b4.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qxa2+ 2. Qxa2 Nc2#

  1. Queen a6 to a2, taking the pawn, check. White answers: queen b3 to a2, taking the queen.
  2. Knight b4 to c2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 3h08y (CC0)

Puzzle 10: White to move, mate in 2

HardRating 1517

White: king g1, queen c2, knight g5. Black: king h8, queen h5, rook g8, bishop g7.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1. Qh7+ Qxh7 2. Nf7#

  1. Queen c2 to h7, check. Black answers: queen h5 to h7, taking the queen.
  2. Knight g5 to f7. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 53duP (CC0)

Puzzle 11: Black to move, mate in 3

HardRating 1555

White: king g1, rook f1, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king h8, queen b6, knight f2.

Hint

Your knight moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Nh3+ 2. Kh1 Qg1+ 3. Rxg1 Nf2#

  1. Knight f2 to h3, check. White answers: king g1 to h1.
  2. Queen b6 to g1, check. White answers: rook f1 to g1, taking the queen.
  3. Knight h3 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 35213 (CC0)

Puzzle 12: Black to move, mate in 3

HardRating 1776

White: king h1, queen d4, rook e1, pawns g2 and h2. Black: king g8, queen f4, rook f8, knight e4.

Hint

Your queen moves first, with check.

Show the answer

1... Qf1+ 2. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 3. Qg1 Nf2#

  1. Queen f4 to f1, check. White answers: rook e1 to f1, taking the queen.
  2. Rook f8 to f1, taking the rook, check. White answers: queen d4 to g1.
  3. Knight e4 to f2. Checkmate!

Based on Lichess puzzle 0WwmS (CC0)

Questions

What is a smothered mate?

A checkmate delivered by a knight when the king is completely surrounded by its own pieces, so it has no square to move to.

What is Philidor’s Legacy?

A famous smothered mate pattern: a knight check drives the king into the corner, a queen sacrifice next to the king forces a rook to take it, and the knight gives mate.

More chess puzzles