Smothered Mate
A smothered mate is a method of checkmating your opponent which is classified as a knight checkmating the opposing king as the king is trapped by his very own pieces. How does one attain a smothered mate? It is usually very rare that the opportunity presents itself, so in most situations, we have to create the opportunity ourselves.
Take a look at the below position. How can white checkmate black?
The first step is to play Nf7+. This forces the king to come out to g8.
The next step is to double check the king. A double check is when the king is being checked by two different pieces. How can we double check the black king once it moves to g8?
The answer is Nh6++. The king is now under check by the white queen and the white knight. Whenever a double check occurs, the king is forced to move. It is impossible to capture the piece giving a check because the other piece will still be checking the king.
The king cannot go to f8 as Qf7 is checkmate. So, it is forced to go to h8. Now, find the mate in 2.
Qg8+! This is the entire idea of a smothered mate. As the knight on h6 is defending the queen, the only move black has is Rxg8. White can now finish the game with the elegant Nf7#
Author: Saharsh Satheesh
