Advanced checkmate · 13 of 15
The kill box mate
A rook checks next to the king, and the queen, a knight's move away, guards the rook and the rest.
- Learn how it worksThree examples with Capra. You play each one yourself.Three examples with CapraStart the lesson
- Practise on real puzzlesPractise on puzzles80 kill box mate puzzles, from easy to very hard.0 of 80 solvedGo to the puzzlesGo to the puzzles
Building the box
The rook checks from the square next to the king. The queen has to be a knight's move from the king first.
The rook closes the box
The queen is already in place. The rook checks on the back rank and it is mate.
Queen check first
The queen checks from f6. The king has to step to h7, a knight's move from her.
Clearing the file
The queen checks on the h-file. Next the bishop gives itself up to open the f-file.
Kill box mates in numbers
Counted from the 252 kill box mates in our puzzle library, all taken from real games- 1 in 1100
of our puzzles ends with a kill box mate.
- 46%
of them are mate in 2.
- 60%
of them come in the endgame.
Which piece makes the first move
- Rook78%
- Queen19%
- Pawn2%
- Bishop1%
How many moves the mate takes
- Mate in 139%
- Mate in 246%
- Mate in 314%
- Mate in 5+1%
Good to know
Kill box mates: common questions
What is a kill box mate in chess?
A kill box mate is a checkmate by a rook and a queen. The rook gives check from the square next to the king. The queen stands a knight's move from the king, guards the rook, and covers the squares the rook cannot reach.
Why is it called a kill box?
The rook, the queen and the trapped king all stand inside one block of three squares by three. That block is the box.
Where does the queen have to stand?
A knight's move from the king, on the same diagonal as the square the rook checks from. From there she guards the rook and covers the squares on the other side of the king.
How do I defend against a kill box mate?
Keep a piece guarding the square next to your king where the rook wants to land, or give the king a way out of the box before the queen arrives. Once the queen is in place and the rook can check, it is too late.