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Checkmate pattern · Improver

Hook Mate in chess

The hook mate is a chain: a rook checks right next to the king, a knight protects the rook, and a pawn protects the knight.

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touch_appTry it: Rook, knight and pawn work as a chain: each one protects the next.

What is a hook mate in chess?

The hook mate is a chain: a rook checks right next to the king, a knight protects the rook, and a pawn protects the knight. The king can't take either piece, and its own pawn blocks the last square.

  • Your knight close to the enemy king and defended by a pawn.
  • Then look for a rook check on a square that knight guards.

How it works, step by step

In the hook mate, a rook gives check right next to the king, a knight protects the rook, and a pawn protects the knight. The king can't take either piece, and its own pawn takes away the last square.

How to spot it: your knight close to the enemy king and defended by a pawn. Then look for a rook check on a square the knight guards.

A worked example

The hook mate: White to move. Rook, knight and pawn work as a chain: each one protects the next.

Solution: 43.Rh8#. Rh8#! The rook checks next to the king. The knight on g6 protects the rook (so Kxh8 is illegal), the f5 pawn protects the knight, and the king's own g7 pawn blocks its last square.

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 "The hook 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 g2, rook d8, knight g6, pawn f5.
Black: king h7, rook c3, pawn g7, pawn c6, pawn c4, pawn b3.
Material: White 9, Black 9 (level).
King in check (verified):
After 43.Rh8#: Black king on h7 is in check from the White rook on h8. Squares next to the king: g6: covered by White pawn f5 (the White knight there is protected); g7: blocked by its own pawn; g8: covered by White rook h8; h6: covered by White rook h8; h8: covered by White knight g6 (the White rook there is protected); 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: White knight on g6.
Defenders and attackers (verified):
White rook d8: defended by nothing; attacked by nothing.
White knight g6: defended by pawn f5; attacked by king h7.
Black rook c3: defended by nothing; attacked by nothing.
White's legal moves (26): rook d8: Re8, Rf8, Rg8, Rh8#, Rd7, Rd6, Rd5, Rd4, Rd3, Rd2, Rd1, Rc8, Rb8, Ra8; knight g6: Ne7, Nf8+, Nh8, Nh4, Nf4, Ne5; pawn f5: f6; king g2: Kh2, Kh1, Kg1, Kf1, Kf2.
Engine best line: 43.Rh8# — forced mate in 1 for White.
Best move theme: checkmate.

3 · What the coach said

Great job finding the move Rh8#! The rook slides over to the square h8 and gives check to the black king on h7. The king cannot run to any neighboring square because each one is already covered: the pawn on f5 protects g6, the rook on h8 covers g8 and h6, and the knight on g6 (which is protected by the pawn) blocks the king from stepping onto h8. Black also has no piece that can capture the rook or block the line of check, so the king is trapped and the game ends. The key idea of a hook mate is that a rook, a knight and a pawn form a little “hook”: the pawn protects the knight, the knight protects the rook, and the rook delivers the final blow. When you see a king stuck on the edge of the board with its own pawn in front, look for a rook that can line up on the same rank or file and a nearby knight that can be shielded by a pawn – that’s often a sign the hook mate is possible. Keep an eye on those three‑piece chains in your own games!
Engine line: Rh8#. In the app you can ask Wingo about any position, and about your own wrong moves.

Solve hook mate puzzles at your level

extension12 hook 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 hook mates in your own games?

Our mistake finder checks your recent games with Stockfish and lists the 3 mistakes you repeat most. Missed hook 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 hook mate is there. In a game nobody does. Play Grandma Rosa, 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 Grandma Rosa (1100)arrow_forwardPatient grinder. Trades down and wins the endgame.About Grandma Rosaarrow_forwardHow this bot plays, and tips to beat it.

Train this in the app

Lesson: The hook matearrow_forwardRook, knight and pawn work as a chain: each one protects the next. With hints, stars and your progress saved.

Keep going

Arabian Matearrow_forwardThe Arabian mate is one of the oldest checkmates: a rook gives check next to a king in the corner, and a knight both protects the rook and covers the king's last escape square..Anastasia's Matearrow_forwardAnastasia's mate traps a king on the edge: a knight covers the squares in front of it, the king's own pawn blocks another, and a queen or rook gives check down the edge file..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.Opening: French Defensearrow_forwardAs Black, build a solid e6–d5 chain and attack White's center.