Anastasia's mate is checkmate by a knight and a rook against a king on the edge of the board, with the king's own pawn blocking one of its squares.
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Start0/1
The knight covers two squares beside the king, the king's own pawn blocks a third, and the rook gives check along the edge.
How to do it
- 1Put a knight on e7 against a king on h7 with a pawn on g7.
- 2Make sure nothing can capture or block the rook on the h-file.
- 3Bring the rook to the h-file with check.
For your level
A knight on e7 and a rook on the h-file trap a king on h7. Its own pawn on g7 does part of the work.
Check you have it
Question 1 of 3
White to play. There is a checkmate in one move — find it.
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Play your move on the board.
Question 2 of 3
Play the moves through. What has happened to the king?
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Question 3 of 3
After the last move, how many legal moves does the mated side have?
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Common mistakes
- Bringing the rook first, so the defender has time to stop the knight.
- Missing a defender that can capture the rook when it lands on the h-file.
Questions
- Why is it called Anastasia's mate?
- After the novel Anastasia und das Schachspiel by Wilhelm Heinse, published in 1803, in which the mate appears.