Caro-Kann Smothered Mate
Black brings a knight out to f6, and your knight jumps to d6 with checkmate.
51%of players rated around 800 bring the knight out here
Your opponent's Chess.com rating
Playing Black against it? Defend against it
Good to know
- Opening
- Caro-Kann Defence
- You play
- White
- The trap is set on
- Move 5
- What you win
- Checkmate in one move
- If they do not bite
- A level game, nothing lost
- Games counted
- 179,454 on Lichess
How to defend against the Caro-Kann Smothered Mate
Move the knight from d7 to f6. 17% of players rated around 800 find it. The knight attacks the one on e4, and your king keeps its square.
A level game.
The way out, move by move, as BlackCaro-Kann Smothered Mate moves
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Qe2 Ngf6 6.Nd6#
- 1.e4Push your king's pawn
The usual first move.
- 1…c6Black pushes the c pawn one square
This is the Caro-Kann Defence. Black gets ready to push the d pawn.
- 2.d4Push your d pawn
Take the centre with two pawns.
- 2…d5Black pushes the d pawn
The pawn attacks your pawn on e4.
- 3.Nc3Bring your knight out
The knight defends the pawn.
- 3…dxe4Black takes your pawn
Take back with the knight.
- 4.Nxe4Take back with your knight
Your knight sits in the centre. Remember the square d6.
- 4…Nd7Black brings a knight to d7
This knight blocks the square the king would need later.
- 5.Qe2Slide your queen to e2
The queen hides behind your knight. You want Black to bring the knight out.
- 5…Ngf6Black brings the other knight out
51% of players rated around 800 play this natural move. It is checkmate in one.
- 6.Nd6#Jump your knight to d6 for checkmate
The pawn that could take the knight is pinned by your queen, and the king has no square.
Checkmate.
See it one move at a timeCaro-Kann Smothered Mate questions
What if they do not fall for the Caro-Kann Smothered Mate?
49% of players rated around 800 play something else. Then a level game, nothing lost.
How do you defend against the Caro-Kann Smothered Mate?
As Black, move the knight from d7 to f6. 17% of players rated around 800 find it. The knight attacks the one on e4, and your king keeps its square. A level game.
What do you win with the Caro-Kann Smothered Mate?
Checkmate in one move. In the main line, checkmate.
At what rating does the Caro-Kann Smothered Mate work?
It works best against players around 800, where 51% bring the knight out. Against players at 2100 and up, 4% do.
More traps
All opening trapsCounted from the rated blitz, rapid and classical games on Lichess that reached this position. Ratings are shown as Chess.com ratings: the games are grouped by Lichess rating, which runs higher, and each group is named by the Chess.com rating it comes to in ChessGoals' comparison of players with an account on both. A rating with fewer than 300 such games shows no number.