Boden's mate puzzles
Two bishops on crossing diagonals check a king that its own pieces have boxed in, usually after castling queenside..
About Boden's mate puzzles
Two bishops on crossing diagonals check a king that its own pieces have boxed in, usually after castling queenside.
How to spot it
- Look for a king on c8 or c1 with pieces on b8, d8 or the same rank.
- A queen sacrifice often drags a piece away; then bishops give mate from the two diagonals.
- Both bishops need open diagonals.
A common mistake
Moving a bishop to a diagonal that a pawn or piece still blocks.
A worked example
R
B
KR
BB
R
K
NBlack to move. White has just played Nxa8. Find the best move.
Solution: 18... Bb4#
It starts with a quiet move, not a check or a capture. The last move is checkmate: the king has no safe square and nothing can block or capture. The idea: Two bishops on crossing diagonals check a king that its own pieces have boxed in, usually after castling queenside..
The highlighted squares show White's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (971 rating).
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Questions
Who was Boden?
Samuel Boden, an English chess master, who mated a player this way in 1853. The pattern carries his name.
Where do these puzzles come from?
They are real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 license. Each one was built from a real game and tested by many players. We picked well-rated ones with good popularity scores.
Are the puzzles free?
Yes. There is no signup, no limit and no ads on the puzzles. Your progress on this page is not saved after you leave.
What do the difficulty levels mean?
Beginner puzzles are rated under 1250, intermediate 1250 to 1749 and advanced 1750 and up, using the rating Lichess players earned on each puzzle.