Mate with king and queen
In short
With a queen and king against a lone king, the method is to shrink the box. Place the queen a knight’s move away from the enemy king, then follow it: every time the king steps, the queen copies the step so the box gets smaller until the king is on the edge.
By the end you can
- Mate with K+Q vs K within 10 moves
- Avoid stalemate while doing it
The lesson
With a queen and king against a lone king, the method is to shrink the box. Place the queen a knight’s move away from the enemy king, then follow it: every time the king steps, the queen copies the step so the box gets smaller until the king is on the edge.
Once the king is on the edge, stop moving the queen and bring your own king closer. The queen alone cannot mate; she needs the king’s support. When your king is close, deliver mate on the edge.
The danger is stalemate. When the enemy king has only one or two squares left, always check that it still has a move before you play a quiet queen move.
Key points to remember
- Queen a knight’s move away, then shadow the king
- Push the king to the edge
- Bring your own king up
- Watch for stalemate when the box is small
Examples
Show the moves
1. Kb2 Ke6 2. Qe4+ Kf6 3. Kc3 Kg5 4. Kd4 Kf6 5. Kd5 Kf7 6. Ke5 Kg7 7. Ke6 Kh6 8. Kf6 Kh5 9. Qa4 Kh6 10. Qh4#
Homework
Mate the engine with K+Q five times in a row without stalemate.
More checkmates lessons
- Checkmate and stalemate (Foundation)
- First mating patterns (Foundation)
- Mate with king and rook (Novice)
- Ladder mate and classic patterns (Novice)
- Mate in two (Class F)
- Mating attacks in three moves (Class E)