Wings Chess
Start learning

Checkmate pattern · Improver

Boden's Mate in chess

Boden's mate is checkmate with two bishops on crossing diagonals, usually against a king that castled queenside.

Last updated

touch_appTry it: Two bishops on crossing diagonals mate a king that castled queenside.

What is a Boden's mate in chess?

Boden's mate is checkmate with two bishops on crossing diagonals, usually against a king that castled queenside. One bishop checks, the other covers the escape squares, and the king's own pieces block the rest.

  • A king on c8 (or c1) with its own rook and knight next to it, and open diagonals towards it.
  • If one bishop already controls b8 and c7, look for a bishop check on a6 (often after a sacrifice on c6).

How it works, step by step

Boden's mate uses two bishops whose diagonals cross in front of a king, usually one that has castled queenside. One bishop gives check, the other covers the king's escape squares, and the king's own pieces block the rest.

How to spot it: a king on c8 (or c1) with its own rook on d8 and knight on d7 next to it, and open diagonals towards it. Your bishop on f4 already controls b8 and c7.

A worked example

Boden's mate: White to move. Two bishops on crossing diagonals mate a king that castled queenside.

Solution: 23.Ba6#. Ba6#! The bishop checks along a6-b7-c8. The bishop on f4 covers b8 and c7, the rook on d8 and knight on d7 block the king's other squares, and nothing can capture the bishop on a6.

Ask Wingo why it works

Wingo, our coach, never works out chess moves on its own. Stockfish finds the best line, chess.js writes down the facts of the position, and Wingo's explanation is built from that analysis. This is its real answer for "Boden's mate", unedited (a person checked it before it went on this page).

1 · Position + engine

2 · Fact sheet (chess.js + Stockfish)

Side to move: White.
White: king h1, rook b1, rook f1, bishop c4, bishop f4, pawn a4, pawn e4, pawn d3, pawn g2, pawn h2.
Black: king c8, rook d8, rook h8, bishop c3, knight d7, pawn a7, pawn f7, pawn g7, pawn b6, pawn c6, pawn e6, pawn h6.
Material: White 21, Black 23 (Black up 2).
King in check (verified):
After 23.Ba6#: Black king on c8 is in check from the White bishop on a6. Squares next to the king: b7: covered by White bishop a6; b8: covered by White bishop f4; c7: covered by White bishop f4; d7: blocked by its own knight; d8: blocked by its own rook; the other squares are off the board (edge). King moves: none. Capture the checking piece with another piece: impossible. Block the check: impossible. This is checkmate.
Loose/under-defended pieces: none.
Defenders and attackers (verified):
Black rook d8: defended by king c8, rook h8; attacked by nothing.
Black rook h8: defended by rook d8; attacked by nothing.
Black knight d7: defended by king c8, rook d8; attacked by nothing.
White bishop c4: defended by pawn d3; attacked by nothing.
White bishop f4: defended by rook f1; attacked by nothing.
Black bishop c3: defended by nothing; attacked by nothing.
White rook b1: defended by rook f1; attacked by nothing.
White rook f1: defended by rook b1; attacked by nothing.
Line-ups (verified geometry): Black king c8 and Black rook d8 are on the 8th rank (nothing between them); Black king c8 and Black rook h8 are on the 8th rank (with the rook d8 between them); Black king c8 and White bishop c4 are on the c-file (with the pawn c6 between them); White bishop c4 and Black bishop c3 are on the c-file (nothing between them); White rook b1 and White king h1 are on the 1st rank (with the rook f1 between them); White rook f1 and White king h1 are on the 1st rank (nothing between them).
White's legal moves (39): pawn a4: a5; bishop c4: Bb5, Ba6#, Bd5, Bxe6, Bb3, Ba2; pawn e4: e5; bishop f4: Be5, Bd6, Bc7, Bb8, Bg5, Bxh6, Bg3, Be3, Bd2, Bc1; pawn d3: d4; pawn g2: g3, g4; pawn h2: h3, h4; rook b1: Rb2, Rb3, Rb4, Rb5, Rxb6, Rbc1, Rbd1, Rbe1, Ra1; rook f1: Rf2, Rf3, Rg1, Rfe1, Rfd1, Rfc1; king h1: Kg1.
Engine best line: 23.Ba6# — forced mate in 1 for White.
Best move theme: checkmate.

3 · What the coach said

The bishop on f4 already blocks the squares b8 and c7, and the new bishop on a6 blocks b7, so the king has no safe move, and none of Black’s pieces can capture or block the attack. A good way to spot this pattern is to look for two bishops that can line up on crossing diagonals aimed at the opponent’s king, especially when the king is trapped behind its own pieces. If you see the king stuck on a back rank with its own pieces in front, check whether your bishops can occupy squares that together cover all its escape routes.
Engine line: Ba6#. In the app you can ask Wingo about any position, and about your own wrong moves.

Solve Boden's mate puzzles at your level

extension12 Boden's mate puzzles from real games, in three levels. Find the move; a wrong try is explained. No account needed.

Beginner · under 1200

Improver · 1200–1599

Intermediate · 1600+

Puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0), each checked by Stockfish.

Do you miss Boden's mates in your own games?

Our mistake finder checks your recent games with Stockfish and lists the 3 mistakes you repeat most. Missed Boden's mates are counted under "Missing checkmates". Every mistake it finds becomes a puzzle from your own game, so you practise exactly the positions you got wrong.

Check my Chess.com gamesarrow_forwardEnter your username. Free, about a minute.Check my Lichess gamesarrow_forwardEnter your username. Free, about a minute.Check my Wings Chess gamesarrow_forwardUses the games you play here, after 5 games.

Use it in a real game

Puzzles tell you a Boden's mate is there. In a game nobody does. Play Gambit Gus, one of our bots that think at a human pace and make human mistakes, and look for the pattern yourself. The coach can point it out afterwards if you miss it.

Play Gambit Gus (900)arrow_forwardA showman. Throws pawns at you from move one.About Gambit Gusarrow_forwardHow this bot plays, and tips to beat it.

Train this in the app

Lesson: Boden's matearrow_forwardTwo bishops on crossing diagonals mate a king that castled queenside. With hints, stars and your progress saved.

Keep going

Kiss of Deatharrow_forwardThe kiss of death is a queen checkmate right next to the enemy king, with another of your pieces protecting the queen so the king can't take it.Back-Rank Matearrow_forwardA back-rank mate is a rook or queen giving check along the last rank while the king is boxed in by its own pawns.Hook Matearrow_forwardThe hook mate is a chain: a rook checks right next to the king, a knight protects the rook, and a pawn protects the knight.Opening: Scandinavian Defensearrow_forwardAs Black, hit e4 on move one and develop the queen early but safely.