Dovetail mate puzzles
A queen gives mate next to the king, while the king's only two escape squares are blocked by its own pieces..
About dovetail mate puzzles
A queen gives mate next to the king, while the king's only two escape squares are blocked by its own pieces.
How to spot it
- The enemy king has two flight squares, both occupied by its own pieces.
- A queen next to the king, protected by a piece, delivers mate.
- Bring the queen with a check or a sacrifice.
A common mistake
Giving check with the queen from a square the king can capture her on.
A worked example
K
N
R
Q
Q
K
RBlack to move. White has just played b3. Find the best move.
Solution: 24... Rd1+ 25. Kb2 Qc1#
Rd1+ checks the king, so your opponent has to answer the check. The last move is checkmate: the king has no safe square and nothing can block or capture. The idea: A queen gives mate next to the king, while the king's only two escape squares are blocked by its own pieces..
The highlighted squares show White's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1154 rating).
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Questions
Which squares matter in a dovetail mate?
The king's two escape squares, both occupied by its own pieces. The queen gives check from the one diagonal square next to the king, and nothing else is free.
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.