One major piece with help from its King is able to mate a lone King. Two minor pieces with their King's support are able to mate a lone King. Pawns are not pieces at all.

However, two Pawns with support from their King may force a checkmate when certain constraints are being observed. So, here we have another case to demonstrate the power of the Pawn. It deserves our respect, so I always capitalize its name and capitalize on its limited powers whenever possible.

This mate pattern could also be called a Seventh Rank Pawn Mate. I have only done it once, but it certainly deserves to be well-known.

Also, a novice should be informed that this mate is much more efficient than simply getting Promotion and then planning a mate from there. Making a quick checkmate is a sure sign of skill! (It also forestalls any blunders possible in lengthier mating squences.)

The two Pawns must be on adjacent files and come face-to-face with the other King. Both of them will have reached the seventh rank by the time this mate will have been made. The supporting King always needs to sit directly behind both Pawns and protect them. Sometimes this King also needs to cover the escape square of the King in danger. This escape square will always be on the seventh rank as well.

The rival King is either on the edge of the board or in the corner. At the edge of the board, this group of chessmen in the Two-Pawn Mate will make a triangle pointing towards the Queenside (QS) or a triangle pointing to the Kingside (KS). The escape square will be on the opposite side in each case, thus forming a diamond in conjunction with the chessmen every time.

Two-Pawn Mate configuration pointing KS:

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Two-Pawn Mate configuration pointing QS:

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It is interesting to note that there are two additional versions of the Two-Pawn Mate when the targeted King is in the corner. One form has the two Kings on the same file (SF), while the other form has the Kings on adjacent files (AF).

Two-Pawn Mate configuration with Kings SF:

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Two-Pawn Mate configuration with Kings AF:

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One of my students asked for this game collection, in order to look at OTB instances. I hope that she and others will gain some benefit from this work.

ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance.

Be well.
Be safe.