Smothered mate: a practical example
The defending king cannot move because its own army blocks the way, and a knight's check cannot be interposed against. Some famous patterns involve a queen sacrifice to force a final knight check, but the sacrifice is not part of the definition.
How to use the idea in your games
Count every king escape square and possible capture of the knight. A king surrounded by pieces is vulnerable only when those pieces cannot remove the checking threat.
A useful study question
Can you explain smothered mate in your own words, identify it in a position, and describe when the idea does not apply? Test the explanation on a legal board before relying on it.
Connect the ideas
Knight, Checkmate, Combination are useful next concepts. Follow the links to compare definitions and examples, then return to the complete chess glossary whenever an unfamiliar term appears.
Sources & further reading
References checked September 5, 2026. Linked services are independent of ChessRankings.com™.