Intermediate checkmate · 9 of 12
The Arabian mate
A knight and a rook trap the king in the corner. The knight guards the rook, and the rook mates.
- Learn how it worksThree examples with Capra. You play each one yourself.Three examples with CapraStart the lesson
- Practise on real puzzlesPractise on puzzles80 arabian mate puzzles, from easy to very hard.0 of 80 solvedGo to the puzzlesGo to the puzzles
The knight holds, the rook mates
The knight stands two squares from the corner on the diagonal. From there it guards both squares the rook can mate on.
Mate on h7
The rook checks from h7. The knight guards the rook and covers g8.
The knight arrives with check
The knight checks from f6, and the king has to step into the corner.
A queen sacrifice on g8
The queen checks on g8. The black rook has to take her, and the white rook takes back with mate.
Arabian mates in numbers
Counted from the 384 Arabian mates in our puzzle library, all taken from real games- 1 in 750
of our puzzles ends with an Arabian mate.
- 52%
of them are mate in 1.
- 61%
of them come in the endgame.
Which piece makes the first move
- Rook62%
- Knight30%
- Queen8%
- Pawn0%
How many moves the mate takes
- Mate in 152%
- Mate in 245%
- Mate in 33%
- Mate in 40%
Good to know
Arabian mates: common questions
What is an Arabian mate in chess?
An Arabian mate is a checkmate with a rook and a knight against a king in the corner. The rook gives check from a square beside the king, and the knight guards the rook and covers the last free square.
Why is it called the Arabian mate?
It is one of the oldest checkmates on record, found in Arabic chess manuscripts written more than a thousand years ago. The rook and the knight moved then as they do today.
Where does the knight need to stand?
Two squares from the corner on the diagonal. With the king on h8 that is f6, where the knight guards g8 and h7, the two squares the rook can mate on.
How do I spot an Arabian mate?
Look for a king in the corner with little pawn cover, your knight two squares away on the diagonal, and a rook that can reach a square beside the king. A check or a sacrifice often clears the way for the rook.