Epaulette Mates are orthogonal, whereas the Dovetail Mate and other similar mates are diagonal. In other words, the lines made by the pieces are at right angles to each other and parallel to the sides of the board.

It may also be called the Epaulet Mate, Shoulderboards Mate and Shoulder Pads Mate. Myself, I fancy it to be a Bodyguards Mate, as there are two (friendly) escorts that are powerless to prevent the final attack. Two Rooks are the usual helpless "supporters."

The Queen is probably the most common decisive piece, but the Rook comes close. Other chessmen can enable this mate, but the arrangement is usually more complicated.

There are some beautiful examples not within the CG database. I will try to manage submissions for some of them, at least.

ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection in March, 2025 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.