Expert checkmate · 9 of 9
The Balestra mate
A bishop gives the check and a queen covers every square the king could run to.
- Learn how it worksThree examples with Capra. You play each one yourself.Three examples with CapraStart the lesson
- Practise on real puzzlesPractise on puzzles80 balestra mate puzzles, from easy to very hard.0 of 80 solvedGo to the puzzlesGo to the puzzles
The bishop strikes, the queen holds
In all three the queen stands a knight's move from the king and covers every square beside him but one. The bishop checks through that last square.
The mating check
The bishop checks from c6. The queen covers every other square.
Queen first
The queen checks to take up her post. The bishop mates on the next move.
Block and capture
The queen checks first. Then the bishop checks, a pawn blocks, and the bishop takes the pawn with mate.
Balestra mates in numbers
Counted from the 250 Balestra mates in our puzzle library, all taken from real games- 1 in 1200
of our puzzles ends with a Balestra mate.
- 50%
of them are mate in 2.
- 51%
of them come in the endgame.
Which piece makes the first move
- Bishop51%
- Queen37%
- Rook9%
- Pawn2%
- Knight1%
How many moves the mate takes
- Mate in 138%
- Mate in 250%
- Mate in 310%
- Mate in 42%
Good to know
Balestra mates: common questions
What is a Balestra mate in chess?
A Balestra mate is a checkmate by a bishop and a queen. The bishop gives the check along a diagonal, and the queen covers the squares the king could run to. The queen does not give the final check.
How is it different from Boden's mate?
In Boden's mate two bishops on crossing diagonals mate a king hemmed in by his own pieces. In a Balestra mate a queen takes the place of one bishop, and she covers the escape squares herself, so the mate works even against a king with nothing around him.
Where does the queen stand?
Usually a knight's move away from the king. From there she covers four of the five squares beside a king on the edge. The bishop checks through the fifth.
What if the bishop check can be blocked?
Then it is not mate yet. A bishop checks from a distance, so look at what can step in between. If the blocker is not guarded, the bishop can often take it and give the same check again from one square closer.