Today I’d like to spend some time talking about my second favorite kind of checkmate; the ever elusive “Queen Mate”. This typically happens when the queen is trapped by a piece of lesser value (usually minor pieces and pawns do this quite well). I have some examples to show and then (in breaking with some previous posts) I’m going to attempt to create some puzzles for everyone to enjoy (from a variety of games I’ve played and games that others have played).
I’ve had these “Queen Mates” happen fairly frequently on ICC but in general they are rare OTB. Without further ado I present to you, “Queen Mates.”
This first one just gives a taste to what’s in store, followed by some puzzles from a variety of games.
This next example is a bit of a tabiya for this sort of thing. Attacks against f7 with the idea of trapping the queen are fairly commonplace.
This next one was actually missed by two top players which should help remind everyone that even the strongest players make mistakes. Black invariably won this game although white missed a chance for a miniature on move 12.
A similar idea (with the knights) Can be found in this game I played on ICC. White has just played the natural 11.Nbd2??:
The Queen can become snared fairly easily when she becomes entrenched in an enemy position:
This next one is fairly simple:
Pawns can be quite useful when trying to snare a rogue Queen:
This next one plays on a similar theme as the previous one. (Hint: Think Pawns).
In this next game Petrosian shows fine technique as he rounds up the enemy queen; you can almost feel him smirking as he plays his final move.
This next one is one of my favorite opening traps:
The ever elusive two bishop queen smother, this one is for the fans.
I hope you guys have enjoyed my little collection of queen mates. What are some of your favorite mates? Do you guys have any examples from your games you can share? Please post them in the comments below. With any luck this post has helped illuminate some possible pitfalls that can occur during the game; especially in the opening.