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Artful Checkmate Patterns
Compiled by alligator
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Learning these checkmate patterns will immediately improve your chess results. Many of the final positions can be found in the book by Renaud and Kahn- Art of Checkmate. Other games can be found in I. Chernev's popular book- Logical Chess Move by Move (LC).

World Champion Anand's Back Rank Mate
Ivanchuk vs Anand, 1988 
(C42) Petrov Defense, 18 moves, 0-1

Back rank mate after Bh6+
Polgar vs P Chilingirova, 1988 
(B31) Sicilian, Rossolimo Variation, 17 moves, 1-0

Unstoppable Back Rank Mate by Art of Checkmate co-author
V Kahn vs C Dawbarn, 1925
(D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 30 moves, 1-0

Back Rank Mate
Z Markhot vs S Arslanagic, 1997 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 26 moves, 1-0

Always look 1 move further!
J Gurczak vs R Mercer, 2011 
(D12) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 22 moves, 1-0

Rook + Bishop variation
Reti vs Tartakower, 1910 
(B15) Caro-Kann, 11 moves, 1-0

Morphy's magic Rook + Bishop
Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard, 1858  
(C41) Philidor Defense, 17 moves, 1-0

Back rank mate used against Victor Kahn
W Gibson vs V Kahn, 1925
(D13) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation, 26 moves, 1-0

Tal's Back Rank at age 14
J Klavins vs Tal, 1949 
(C10) French, 18 moves, 0-1

Elegant finish (back Rank) forseen by Capa many moves before
O Bernstein vs Capablanca, 1914 
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 29 moves, 0-1

Echo of R+B mate
Tal vs Petrosian, 1975 
(C03) French, Tarrasch, 20 moves, 1-0

A quick Smothered Mate
NN vs Greco, 1620 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 13 moves, 0-1

A famous Morphy Smothered Mate
Morphy vs Schrufer, 1859 
(C56) Two Knights, 24 moves, 1-0

Morphy's Evan's -> 2 Bishops Mate
Morphy vs J Thompson, 1859 
(000) Chess variants, 26 moves, 1-0

2 Bishops- aka Boden's Mate
E Canal vs NN, 1934 
(B01) Scandinavian, 14 moves, 1-0

Blackburne's two Bishops Mate
NN vs Blackburne, 1884  
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 14 moves, 0-1

Ed Lasker's tricky prelude to Boden's mate
Ed. Lasker vs F Englund, 1913 
(C48) Four Knights, 21 moves, 1-0

Rolling Rooks Mate (w Queen)
E Schallopp vs Gossip, 1890 
(C29) Vienna Gambit, 19 moves, 1-0

46 Kh1 allows Rolling Rooks Pattern
Topalov vs Anand, 2010 
(D56) Queen's Gambit Declined, 56 moves, 0-1

Morphy's Queen + Bishop Battery
J Schulten vs Morphy, 1857 
(C31) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 23 moves, 0-1

Unstoppable Queen + Bishop Mate
Paulsen vs Mackenzie, 1861
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 25 moves, 1-0

Moprhy's Mate or Back Rank
G MacDonnell vs S Boden, 1869 
(C23) Bishop's Opening, 24 moves, 0-1

Anastasia's Mate
Vidmar vs Euwe, 1929 
(A48) King's Indian, 37 moves, 1-0

Almost Anastasia's Mate (AA)
Rubinstein vs G G Bartoszkiewicz, 1897 
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 17 moves, 1-0

Were Black sacs sound?
Kobe vs G Gorges, 1985 
(A52) Budapest Gambit, 24 moves, 0-1

King Hunt in Vienna
Zukertort vs NN, 1877 
(C28) Vienna Game, 16 moves, 1-0

Failed King Hunt
Chigorin vs H Caro, 1898 
(C29) Vienna Gambit, 36 moves, 1-0

Fischer's Spanish Exchange sac
Fischer vs A Anastasopoulos, 1968 
(C69) Ruy Lopez, Exchange, Gligoric Variation, 30 moves, 1-0

Spielman's Logical punishment of g6? LC#7
Spielmann vs R Wahle, 1926 
(C01) French, Exchange, 17 moves, 1-0

White is floored by Black's final move. LC #12
R Pitschak vs Flohr, 1934 
(A22) English, 19 moves, 0-1

Pillsbury Attack LC #22
Pillsbury vs G Marco, 1900 
(D55) Queen's Gambit Declined, 26 moves, 1-0

Capa attack w opp side castles
Capablanca vs T A Carter, 1909 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 30 moves, 1-0

Black neglects the center, castles into attack LC#5
Ruger vs H Gebhard-Elsass, 1915 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 17 moves, 1-0

Nakamura's Queen sac vs Krasenkow
Krasenkow vs Nakamura, 2007 
(A14) English, 28 moves, 0-1

Lolli attack- well worth knowing
D Field vs David L Kuhns, 1982 
(C57) Two Knights, 14 moves, 1-0

Fischer used the Lolli attack many times on his 1964 Simul tour
Fischer vs F Gruenberg, 1964 
(C57) Two Knights, 23 moves, 1-0

Queen sac--> Double Check-->Mate
F A Hoffmann vs A Petrov, 1844 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 20 moves, 0-1

White sticks to the plan of Attack on g7
M Abbink vs Y H de Rover, 1997 
(B20) Sicilian, 23 moves, 1-0

A brilliant unacceptable Queen sac!
Rossolimo vs P Reissmann, 1967 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 24 moves, 1-0

Brilliancy Prize
Schiffers vs Harmonist, 1887 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 28 moves, 1-0

Smothered Mate w Bishop
D Mastrovasilis vs Short, 2011 
(B11) Caro-Kann, Two Knights, 3...Bg4, 26 moves, 1-0

After the ' decisive ' 21st move, some say it's still a draw
Hodgson vs S Agdestein, 1986 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 24 moves, 1-0

Morphy sacs R + B --> Q + N Mate
A Meek vs Morphy, 1855 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 25 moves, 0-1

A sparkling attack
Kahn vs H Harrison, 1951
(C49) Four Knights, 18 moves, 1-0

Tal punishes Black for ignoring principles (16Qc7 17Nh6+ & #)
Tal vs M Strelkov, 1949 
(C10) French, 16 moves, 1-0

Nice Queen sac w lots of variations
Tarrasch vs Romberg, 1893 
(000) Chess variants, 21 moves, 1-0

Marshall dazzles!
Janowski vs Marshall, 1912 
(C42) Petrov Defense, 22 moves, 0-1

Petrosian playing like Tal
Petrosian vs Estrin, 1968 
(A21) English, 26 moves, 1-0

Two Knights Mate - Knifty!
N Speijer vs Couvee, 1955 
(C14) French, Classical, 15 moves, 1-0

Interesting tactics, doubtful that Lasker played Black side
A Arnold vs Lasker, 1924 
(C28) Vienna Game, 18 moves, 1-0

Queen sac- out of nowhere
Alekhine vs Saemisch, 1923 
(B30) Sicilian, 20 moves, 1-0

Mate w windmill theme.
Alekhine vs A Fletcher, 1928 
(A31) English, Symmetrical, Benoni Formation, 32 moves, 1-0

Alekhine bests another world champion
Alekhine vs Lasker, 1934 
(D67) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Bd3 line, 26 moves, 1-0

Magnus' @ 12 yrs. brilliant attack ending w eupalette Mate
Carlsen vs S Ernst, 2004 
(B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 29 moves, 1-0

A neat Bishop & Rook mate combo in Spanish Exchange
A Volchok vs R Kreslavsky, 1970 
(C69) Ruy Lopez, Exchange, Gligoric Variation, 17 moves, 1-0

Another Spanish Exchange
Mecking vs A C Rocha, 1969 
(C69) Ruy Lopez, Exchange, Gligoric Variation, 24 moves, 1-0

Energetic Attack in Spanish
Psakhis vs S Mitra, 1988
(C68) Ruy Lopez, Exchange, 34 moves, 1-0

M Santo-Roman vs G Fayolle, 2001
(C68) Ruy Lopez, Exchange, 20 moves, 1-0

Sac 2 Queens! For Rolling Rooks Mate
F Steil-Antoni vs S Johnsen, 2010 
(C28) Vienna Game, 35 moves, 1-0

Tal's Tactics Sparkle Even in a Simul!
Tal vs J Miller, 1988 
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 33 moves, 1-0

Methodical attack --> Artful Smothered Mate
A Bodnaruk vs V Gunina, 2006 
(B23) Sicilian, Closed, 25 moves, 1-0

Byrne brother mate
R Byrne vs D Byrne, 1958 
(E64) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav System, 53 moves, 0-1

Quick win vs Q-side castling
A F Arjona vs Gonzalez, 1988
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 20 moves, 1-0

Young Pillsbury gets mated by simple attack
F Young vs Pillsbury, 1893 
(C62) Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense, 16 moves, 1-0

Rf6!! blocks f7-f5 creating unanswerable mate threats
Fischer vs Benko, 1963 
(B09) Pirc, Austrian Attack, 21 moves, 1-0

Anand plays tactical line w IQP
Anand vs Adianto, 1992 
(B14) Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack, 33 moves, 1-0

Epaulette Mate- Morphy blindfold exhibition
Morphy vs NN, 1858 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 33 moves, 1-0

Morphy's Geometric Pawn Promotion
Morphy vs NN, 1858 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 33 moves, 1-0

King hunt on an open board
Morphy vs NN, 1858 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 29 moves, 1-0

Two Bishops Mate, almost
Morphy vs P Bonford, 1858 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 27 moves, 1-0

Morphy rolling rook mate in 2 knights
Morphy vs NN, 1858 
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 23 moves, 1-0

Quick win using Grand Prix
M G Gahan vs N Patkar Nisha, 2008
(B23) Sicilian, Closed, 20 moves, 1-0

Schlechter vs Meitner, 1899 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 34 moves, 1-0

Dramatic British GM clash
Keene vs Miles, 1976  
(D42) Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 7.Bd3, 26 moves, 1-0

A most bizarre mate!
Morphy vs Le Carpentier, 1849 
(000) Chess variants, 13 moves, 1-0

Several mate traps before the final unstoppable threat Nc7#
Topalov vs Kramnik, 2008 
(D44) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 45 moves, 1-0

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