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Mate with the queen

How to checkmate a lone king with king and queen: the “box” method, the final mating positions and the main trap called stalemate

  • Beginner
  • For beginners
  • 2 min read
Contents
  1. The “box” method
  2. Mating positions
  3. The main danger is stalemate
  4. Practice

Mate with king and queen against a lone king is the first mate every chess player should know. From any position it takes no more than 10 moves.

The “box” method

The queen cuts off part of the board from the enemy king — a “box”. Step by step the box gets smaller.

  1. Put the queen a knight's move away from the enemy king. That way the queen cuts off both a file and a rank without giving check.
  2. When the king retreats, repeat: the queen again goes a knight's move away from the king. The king is pushed towards the edge.
  3. When the king is pressed against the edge and shuttles between two squares, stop and bring your own king up.
  4. Your king comes close, and the queen delivers mate.

Mating positions

Here are two typical endings.

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The queen right next to the king, protected by her own king — checkmate.
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White to move. Mate in 1

Show solution

1. Qg8# — the king on b6 covers the seventh-rank squares, and the queen sweeps the whole eighth rank.

The main danger is stalemate

When the enemy king is shut in a corner, it is easy to take away its last square without giving check. That is stalemate — a draw. So as soon as the king is pressed against the edge:

  • stop shrinking the box with the queen;
  • leave the king two squares to shuttle between;
  • bring up your king while the queen waits.
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This is what happens if you get carried away: Black to move, and it is stalemate.

Practice

On the analysis board, put the kings in the centre and the queen in a corner, and mate — until you can do it within 10 moves without a single mistake. Then move on to mate with the rook: it is a little harder but built on the same ideas.