Smothered mate
The smothered mate is the knight’s signature trick and chess’s most elegant mate: the king sits in the corner, wrapped completely in by its own pieces, and only a knight can reach in where nothing else can.
Try to deliver the mate
Your turn: find the move that delivers checkmate. Drag the piece to the right square.
How to deliver it
The king on h8 is smothered by its own rook and pawns. The knight jumps to f7 and gives check. A knight check can never be blocked, and here there are no escape squares: they are all taken by Black’s own pieces. Checkmate.
How to defend
The smothered mate strikes a king without air. The best defence is prevention: make an escape hatch with a little pawn move (like h6 or g6) in good time, so the king always has a square to run to. And be extra alert when an enemy knight comes near your king in the corner.