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Vukovic's mates

Submitted by DrDave on Sat, 31/03/2012 - 21:34
Some time after writing the piece about checkmate patterns, I bought V. Vukovic's famous book The Art of Attack in Chess. In it he gives a chapter full of mates, shown below; the numbering and terminology are his.

UPDATE: PGN file attached [PGN]

  All of these mates are worth knowing, although you may only pull off Reti's mate once in your life. But the threat to carry out Reti's mate may come up every year.

  White is to move unless indicated otherwise.

30

-+-+-+-J
+-+-+-+b
-+-+-+-Q
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

31 Arab mate

-+-+-+j+
+-+-R-+-
-+-+p+-+
+-+-+-+n
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

32

-+-K-J-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+n+-N
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
Solution/Notes

33

-+-R-+j+
+-+-+xXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+t+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-K-
Solution/Notes

34

-+-+t+j+
+-+-+x+-
-+-+xPx+
+-+-+-Q-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Black to move Solution/Notes

35 Damiano's mate

-+-+dTj+
+-+-+-X-
-+-+-Xp+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
K-+q+r+r
Solution/Notes

36

-+-+-Lj+
+-+-+-X-
-+-Xx+p+
+-+-+-+-
q+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

37

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+x+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-Q
+-+-K-+r
Black to move Solution/Notes

38

-+-+-T-J
+-+-XxXb
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+q
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Can Black, to move, save the game? Solution/Notes

39 Philidor's legacy

-+-+t+-J
+-+-+-Xx
-+-+-S-+
+-+q+-N-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-K-
Solution/Notes

40

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+xX-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-Nq
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+k
Black to move Solution/Notes

41

-+-+-Tj+
+-+n+x+x
-+-+-+x+
+-+-Q-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+pP
+-+-K-+-
A common pattern Solution/Notes

42 Greco's mate

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+xXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+b+-Nq
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Black to move Solution/Notes

43

-+-+-Tj+
+-+l+x+x
-+x+xB-+
+-+-+-+r
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Black to move Solution/Notes

44 Morphy's mate

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+xXx
-+-+-L-+
+-+-+q+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+k+-
-B-+-+-+
R-+-+-+-
Solution/Notes

45 Morphy's concealed mate

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+xXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+-B-R-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

46

-+-+-+j+
+-+-+-X-
-+-R-+n+
+-+-+p+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

47 Anastasia's mate

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+xXx
-+-+-+-+
+-Rn+-+r
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

48

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+x+x
-+-+-Px+
+-+-Q-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
R-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

49 'blind swine'

t+-+-Tj+
+rR-+-+-
-+-+-X-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+k+-
Black to move Solution/Notes

50 epaulette mate

-+-+tJt+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-Q-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+k+-
Solution/Notes

51 swallow's tail

-+-+t+t+
+-+-+j+-
-+-+-Q-+
+-+-+-P-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+k+-
Solution/Notes

52

-+-+t+-J
+-+-X-+x
-+-+lX-Q
+-+-+-P-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

53

-+-+-T-J
+-+-+x+x
-+-+-+-+
+-+-N-+-
-+-B-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-K-+-
Solution/Notes

54 as Rotlewi-Rubinstein

-+-T-+-J
+-+-+-+x
-+-+-+-P
+-+x+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+b
-+-+-+-+
+-+k+-B-
Solution/Notes

55 Boden's mate

-+j+-L-T
XxX-+pXx
-+s+-D-+
+-+b+l+-
-+-+-+-+
+-P-Bq+-
pP-N-+-+
+-Kr+-+r
Black to move Solution/Notes

56 Pillsbury's mate

-+-+-Tj+
+t+-+xXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+l+-+-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-B-+k+-+
R-+-+-R-
Solution/Notes

tS-DjLsT
XxX-+x+x
-+-X-+x+
+-+-X-+-
-+b+p+l+
+-N-+n+-
pPpP-PpP
R-BqK-+r
Solution/Notes

58 Max Lange's mate

t+-DjL-T
XxX-+xXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+xP-+-
-+-+s+p+
+b+x+-+-
pPpP-+pP
RnBq+rK-
Black to move Solution/Notes

59 Reti's mate

tSl+jL-T
Xx+-+xXx
-+x+-+-+
+-+-D-+-
-+-+s+-+
+-+q+-+-
pPpB-PpP
+-Kr+bNr
Solution/Notes

60 Blackburne's mate

-+-+-Tj+
+-+-+xXx
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-N-
-+-+-+-+
+-+-+-+-
-Bb+-K-+
+q+-+-+-
Solution/Notes

Solutions and notes

#30

  1 Bg6+ Kg8, 2 Qh7+ Kf8, 3 Qf7 mate

  1 Bf5+ Kg8, 2 Be6 mate

#31

  1 Nf6+ Kh8, 2 Rh7 mate

#32

  cannot be forced in this situation

  but worth looking out for in a castled King's-side position, because the Knights cover so many squares

#33

  Oh, how many times have we overlooked this...

#34

  1...Kh7, 2 Qh4+ Kg8, 3 Qh6 and 4 Qg7 mate

#35

  1 Rh8+ Kxh8, 2 Rh1+ Kg8, 3 Rh8+ Kxh8, 4 Qh1+ Kg8, 5 Qh7 mate

#36

  1 Qh5 Be7, 2 Qh7+ Kf8, 3 Qh8 mate

#37

  1...f5 2 Qh7 mate

  1...Re8 2 Qh8 mate

#38

  1...g6! 2 Qh6!

#39

  1 Nf7+ Kg8 2 Nh6+ Kh8 3 Qg8+ Rxg8 4 Nf7 mate

#40

  1...Rb8, 2 Qxf7+ Kh8, 3 Ne6 Rg8, 4 Qh5 mate

#41

  1 Nf6+ Kh8, 2 Nh5+ f6 escapes

  1 ... Kg2, 2 Ne8++ Kh6, 3 Qf4+ g5, 4 Qf6+ Kh5, 5 Ng7+ and White needs only a Pawn on g2/h2 to force mate

#42

  1...h6 2 Bxf7+ Kh8 3 Qg6! hxg5 4 Qh5 mate

#43

  1...Rf8, 2 Rg5+ Kf8, 3 Rg7!

#44

  1 Qxf6 gxf6, 2 Rg1+ Kh8 3 Bxf6 mate

#45

  1 Rxg7+ Kh8, 2 Rxf7+! Kg8, 3 Rg7+ Kh8, 4 Rg1+ Rf6, 5 Bxf6 mate

#46

  1 Rd8+ Kf7, 2 Rf8 mate

#47

  1 Ne7+ Kh8, 2 Rxh7+

#48

  1 Qg5 Kh8, 2 Qh6 Rg8, 3 Qxh7+

#49

  1...Rfd8, and White has only perpetual

  the Rooks 'grunt out check' but cannot get sight of mate (Janowski)

#50

#51

#52

  1 g6 Bg8, 2 g7 mate

#53

  1 Nxf7+ or 1 Ng6+ mates

#54

  1 Be6 d4, 2 Bh2 and 3 Be5 mate

#55

  Macdonnell-Boden 1869

  1...Qxc3+ 2 bxc3 Ba3 mate

#56

  1 Rxg7+ Kh8, 2 Rg8+ Kxg8, 3 Rg1 mate

  (compare Morphy's mate)

#57

  1 e4 e5, 2 Nf3 d6, 3 Bc4 Bg4, 4 Nc3 g6

  5 Nxe5! Bxd1? 6 Bxf7+ Ke7, 7 Nd5 mate

#58

  10...Bc5+ 11 Kh1 Ng3+ 12 hxg3 Qg5, 13 Rf5 h5! since 14 Rxd8 hxg4 mate

#59

  9 Qd8+ Kxd8, 10 Bg5++ Kc7, 11 Bd8 mate

#60

  1 Qh1 h5, 2 Qxh5! gxh5, 3 Bh7 mate

 

AttachmentSize
vukomate.pgn10.6 KB

Chess Quotes

" It is often supposed that, apart from their 'extraordinary powers of memory', expert players have phenomenal powers of calculation. The beginner believes that experts can calculate dozens of moves ahead and he will lose to them only because he cannot calculate ahead so far. Yet this is utter nonsense. From my own experience I can say that grandmasters do not do an inordinate amount of calculating. Tests (notably de Groot's experiments) supports me in this claim.
— David NORWOOD, Chess and Education