puzzle

Arabian mate is the oldest and one of the most important checkmate patterns there are in chess. The pattern can prove the decider in both the middlegame and endgame alike and mastery of it will guarantee you many chess wins in your career.

The mate was first recorded in a ninth-century Arabic manuscript! Hence the name: the Arabian Mate. In it, a knight and a rook team up to trap the opposing king on a corner of the board

The basic seutp

The knight covers the rook and the mate can be delivered on either g8 or h7. The king sitting in the corner has no squares since the knight and rook team up to cover all the squares.

Before going to some examples and tests, you would do well to watch my video were I explain this pattern:

Let's have a look at some examples of the mate in action.

First a simple example, finish the job for white:

How did Reuben Fine finish the game?

There are many things that work here for white, can you make a Queen sacrifice work?

Can you find how black finishes the job here using our pattern?

White just played 41.Nxf6 having set this up a few moves ago. Can black do anything to prevent the Arabian mate or the imminent loss of material?