10 smothered mates rated between 2000 and 2199, averaging 2090. 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 2000-rated players. Puzzle ratings work like player ratings: a puzzle rated 2000 is one that players around 2000 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.
Ne7+ Kh8 Qg8+ Rxg8 Ng6#
Qxf2+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Qxe6+ Rf7 Qxf7+ Kh8 Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Nf3+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Bxe3+ Rf2 Qxf2+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Rxf8+ Rxf8 Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
Ne2+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Nf6 Nh6 Qg8+ Nxg8 Nf7#
Qxd4+ Kh1 Qg1+ Rxg1 Nf2#
Ng5 Bg7 Qg8+ Rxg8 Nf7#
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 2000 is one that players rated around 2000 solve roughly half the time. The puzzles on this page average 2090, so they suit 2000-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.