Advanced checkmate · 15 of 15
The blind swine mate
Two rooks on the seventh rank mate a king shut in a corner box of four squares.
- Learn how it worksThree examples with Capra. You play each one yourself.Three examples with CapraStart the lesson
- Practise on real puzzlesPractise on puzzles80 blind swine mate puzzles, from easy to very hard.0 of 80 solvedGo to the puzzlesGo to the puzzles
One box, three starting points
The mate is always the same two rooks side by side. What changes is how many pawns they have to eat first.
The mating move
The second rook lands beside the first and the king has no square.
One pawn to take
The rook takes the pawn with check and drives the king out of the corner.
Two pawns to take
The rook takes on g7 with check, then on h7 with check, and then the other rook mates.
Blind swine mates in numbers
Counted from the 253 blind swine mates in our puzzle library, all taken from real games- 1 in 1100
of our puzzles ends with a blind swine mate.
- 54%
of them are mate in 1.
- 74%
of them come in the endgame.
Which piece makes the first move
- Rook98%
- Queen1%
- Pawn0%
- Knight0%
How many moves the mate takes
- Mate in 154%
- Mate in 242%
- Mate in 34%
- Mate in 5+0%
Good to know
Blind swine mates: common questions
What is a blind swine mate in chess?
A blind swine mate is a checkmate by two rooks side by side on the seventh rank. The king is shut in a box of four squares in the corner, and one of his own pieces, usually the rook on f8, blocks the only other way out.
Why is it called the blind swine mate?
The name is credited to the Polish master Dawid Janowski, who called two rooks doubled on the seventh rank swine. Players still call a rook on the seventh rank a pig, because it eats the pawns standing there.
How does the blind swine mate work?
With the king on g8 and a black rook on f8, one rook takes on g7 with check and the king goes to h8. The same rook takes on h7 with check and the king comes back. Then the other rook comes to g7 and it is mate.
How do I stop a blind swine mate?
Do not let both enemy rooks reach the rank where your pawns started. Trade one of them off, or keep a piece guarding the pawn in front of your king. Moving your own rook away from the king also helps, because it frees a square to run to.