Epaulette Mate

The king's own rooks or pieces block its escape like epaulettes.

An epaulette mate checkmates a king that is flanked by two of its own pieces (often rooks) on the rank behind it, blocking both escape squares like a pair of epaulettes on a uniform, while a queen delivers mate from the front.

Related terms
Back-Rank Mate Checkmate
Practice this

Real puzzles from our archive that train the Epaulette Mate pattern.

Puzzle · 1094 Puzzle · 976 Puzzle · 983
Browse 1,689 puzzles tagged Epaulette Mate →

← All chess terms