C&C Chess Club
Damiano's mate — the pawn carries the queen
5rk1/5p2/6P1/8/7Q/8/8/6K1 w - - 0 1The plan
The same pattern as the h7 mate, only with a startlingly cheap helper: here it is not a knight but a plain PAWN that provides the defence. A pawn standing diagonally in front of the enemy king defends both squares beside it — and that is fully enough for the queen. She takes up position next to the king, he is not allowed to capture because the pawn defends her. He cannot go sideways either, because his own rook stands there, and his own pawn takes away the last square. This position often arises in practice after a pawn has advanced and dug in there. Remember: a far-advanced pawn next to the king is no longer just a pawn — it's a mating threat.
Why this level: Like the h7 mate, but the piece giving the defence is less conspicuous and therefore overlooked more often.
The solution, move by move
- 1. Qh7# The pawn defends the square the queen moves to — nothing more is needed. You can spot positions like this from a distance, just by the pawn.
Play it yourself
In the free app C&C Chess Club you step through the line move by move, tap the sidelines and play the position out against Stockfish — no account, no ads.
More in Mate with the queen
- The h7 mate — the classic strike Mate in 1
- Epaulette mate — crushed by its own rooks Mate in 1