10 smothered mates rated between 1400 and 1599, averaging 1520. Each position below is from a real game, with the solution given underneath — so you can check yourself immediately rather than guessing whether you were right.
A smothered mate is delivered by a knight to a king boxed in entirely by its own pieces. It nearly always arrives via a queen sacrifice that forces a rook or pawn onto the last free square.
These are pitched at 1400-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1400 is one that players around 1400 solve about half the time, so if you are getting most of these you should move up a band.
Solving from a page is good for pattern recognition but not for tracking progress. The rated puzzle trainer serves puzzles matched to your own rating and adjusts as you solve, and the Mistake Trainer builds puzzles from positions you actually got wrong in your own games.
Qf2+ Kh1 Qf1+ Ng1 Nf2#
Nh6+ Kh8 Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Nh3+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Qxh7+ Qxh7 Nf7#
Qxf2+ Kh1 Qg1+ Nxg1 Nf2#
Nd3#
Nd6#
Train smothered mate puzzles at your rating →
A smothered mate is delivered by a knight to a king boxed in entirely by its own pieces. It nearly always arrives via a queen sacrifice that forces a rook or pawn onto the last free square.
Puzzle ratings work like player ratings. A puzzle rated 1400 is one that players rated around 1400 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1520, so they suit 1400-rated players.
Yes. Every puzzle on this page, including its solution, is free to view with no account. The rated trainer that tracks your progress and serves puzzles matched to your rating is part of Chess Ramp Premium.