How to checkmate with a queen
Learn the king and queen checkmate as a pattern you can repeat: keep the queen a knight's move from the king, copy every step it takes, then stop and bring your own king.
A knight's move away
The whole mate is one pattern. Put the queen a knight's move from the king, then copy every step the king takes. The queen never gives check.
Play Qd3. The queen is now a knight's move from the king and holds the d-file and the 3rd rank, so the king is locked in the shaded box. Qd3 Ke6
1… Ke6 The king moves up the board, to e6, away from your queen.
The king stepped up one square. Copy it: the queen steps up one square too. Play Qd4: a knight's move from the king again, and the box is smaller. Qd4 Ke7
2… Ke7 The king goes up again, to e7.
One step of the king, one step of the queen. The queen is still a knight's move away, and the king has lost a whole rank.
Copy every step
Keep copying. Whatever step the king takes, up, sideways or diagonally, the queen takes the same step.
The king went up, so the queen goes up. Play Qd5. Qd5 Kf6
3… Kf6 Its other squares are on the back rank, so the king comes back down diagonally, to f6.
The king stepped down and to the right. Copy that step: Qe4. A knight's move away again, and now the e-file is shut too. Qe4 Kf7
4… Kf7 The king steps up again, to f7.
Up one, so the queen goes up one. Play Qe5. Qe5 Kg6
5… Kg6 The king tries the diagonal again, down and to the right, to g6.
Copy the diagonal step: Qf4. Now the f-file is shut as well. Qf4 Kg7
6… Kg7 The king goes up, to g7.
Four more steps, four copies. The king is left with the g- and h-files above the 4th rank.
Into the corner
Go on copying until the king has only two squares left. Count them after every move.
The king stepped up. Play Qf5. Qf5 Kg8
7… Kg8 The king goes up to the back rank, g8.
Up again, so play Qf6. Only four squares are left: g7, g8, h7 and h8. Qf6 Kh7
8… Kh7 The queen covers g7, h8 and the f-file, so h7 is the king's only move.
The king stepped down and to the right. Copy it: Qg5. Now the king has just two squares, h7 and h8. Qg5 Kh8
9… Kh8 Its only move is back to h8.
The king is shut in the corner with two squares, h8 and h7. This is where the copying stops.
Stop the queen, bring the king
Once the king has two squares left, the queen stays where it is. Your king walks up, and then the queen mates.
Copying the king with Qg6 now would leave it no move and no check: stalemate. The queen on g5 holds the corner on its own. Play Kf2: your king sets off. Kf2 Kh7
10… Kh7 The black king can only go back and forth between h8 and h7.
Leave the queen alone and keep walking. Play Kf3. Kf3 Kh8
11… Kh8 Back to h8. It has nothing else.
Play Kf4. Kf4 Kh7
12… Kh7 And back to h7.
Play Kf5. Kf5 Kh8
13… Kh8 Back to h8.
Play Kf6: from here your king guards g7, the square next to the black king. Kf6 Kh7
14… Kh7 Back to h7. But now the queen can land on g7, protected by your king.
Play Qg7: the queen is protected by your king and covers every square around the black king. Checkmate. Qg7#
Checkmate. The whole pattern: put the queen a knight's move away, copy every step, stop when the king has two squares, then bring your king and mate.
Key ideas
- Put the queen a knight's move from the enemy king. From there it locks the king in a box and never gives check.
- Copy every step the king takes: if it steps up, the queen steps up; if it steps diagonally, so does the queen. The queen stays a knight's move away and the king is squeezed into a corner.
- When the king has only two squares left, stop copying: one more copy leaves it no move, and that is stalemate.
- Leave the queen where it is and walk your king up. The black king can only go back and forth.
- Mate comes when your king protects the queen right next to the black king.
Common mistakes
- Giving check: the king just walks away, and a queen next to it with no protection gets taken.
- Copying the king once more when it has two squares left: no move and no check is stalemate.
- Forgetting your king: the queen can never mate on its own.