10 smothered mates rated between 1800 and 1999, averaging 1860. 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 1800-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 1800 is one that players around 1800 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.
Qxd1+ Bxd1 Rf1+ Ng1 Nf2#
Qxa1+ Nxa1 Rf1+ Qg1 Nf2#
Qxh7+ Qxh7 Nf7#
Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Qxf2+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Rh3 Kf8 Qh8+ Ng8 Nh7#
Nf2+ Kg1 Nh3+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Qxf7+ Kh8 Ng5 Bg7 Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Qxg8+ Nxg8 Nf7#
Qxh7+ Bxh7 Nxf7#
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 1800 is one that players rated around 1800 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 1860, so they suit 1800-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.