Advanced checkmate · 12 of 15
The dovetail mate
A queen mates from the next square on a diagonal, and the king's own pieces block his last two 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 dovetail mate puzzles, from easy to very hard.0 of 80 solvedGo to the puzzlesGo to the puzzles
Three guards for the queen
The queen stands right next to the king, so something has to guard her. A pawn, a rook or a bishop will do.
Guarded by a pawn
The queen checks from g4. Black's own queen and pawn block e5 and f6.
Guarded by a rook
The rook checks first and drives the king to g7, next to the pawns on g6 and h7.
Guarded by a bishop
The queen checks from the corner. Next she mates on d8, the square the bishop guards.
Dovetail mates in numbers
Counted from the 251 dovetail mates in our puzzle library, all taken from real games- 1 in 1100
of our puzzles ends with a dovetail mate.
- 77%
of them are mate in 1.
- 67%
of them come in the endgame.
Which piece makes the first move
- Queen86%
- Rook12%
- Bishop1%
- Pawn0%
How many moves the mate takes
- Mate in 177%
- Mate in 220%
- Mate in 32%
- Mate in 5+1%
Good to know
Dovetail mates: common questions
What is a dovetail mate in chess?
A dovetail mate is a checkmate by a queen standing diagonally next to the king. She covers every square around him except two, and the king's own pieces block those two. It is also called Cozio's mate.
Why is it called a dovetail mate?
Because of the shape. The two blocking pieces spread out behind the king like the tail of a dove, with the queen at the other end.
Does the queen need help in a dovetail mate?
Yes. She checks from the square next to the king, so the king could take her if nothing guarded her. A pawn, a rook, a bishop, a knight or your own king can do that job.
What is the difference between a dovetail mate and a swallow's tail mate?
In a dovetail mate the queen checks from a diagonal, and the blocked squares are the two next to the king on the side away from her. In a swallow's tail mate she checks along a file or a rank, and the blocked squares are the two diagonal ones behind the king.