How to checkmate with a king and queen
Updated
To checkmate with a king and queen, use the queen to push the enemy king to the edge of the board, stop while it still has a move, bring your own king up beside it, then give mate with the queen. The queen can't do it alone, and one careless queen move can give stalemate and throw away the win.
The plan
- Put your queen a knight's move away from the enemy king.
- Each time the king moves, move the queen the same way, until the king is on the edge.
- Stop following. Keep the queen on the row next to the edge.
- Walk your own king up.
- Give mate on the edge.
Step 1: a knight's move away
A queen a knight's move away from the king is close enough to fence it in and far enough away to be safe. From c4, she leaves the king on e5 just three squares: d6, f6 and f5.
Step 2: follow the king to the edge
When the king moves, copy it: if it steps up and to the right, the queen steps up and to the right. She stays a knight's move away and the king runs out of room. Here is one way it can go:
1. Qc4 Kf6 2. Qd5 Ke7 3. Qc6 Kf7 4. Qd6 Kg7 5. Qe6 Kh7 6. Qf6 Kg8 7. Qe7
If the copying move isn't possible, because the queen is at the edge herself or her path is blocked, play any safe queen move that keeps the king fenced in, then carry on.
Step 3: stop before the corner
The king has reached the edge. After Qe7 the queen sits on the seventh rank like a wall, and the king can only shuffle between g8 and h8. From here on, stop copying.
This is the moment the win slips away. Once the king is cornered, a queen a knight's move away takes every square without giving check. That is stalemate, and the game is a draw.
Step 4: walk your king up
Leave the queen on e7 and use only your king. The queen does nothing while Black shuffles, and that is exactly what you want:
7... Kh8 8. Kf4 Kg8 9. Kg5 Kh8 10. Kg6 Kg8
Step 5: give mate
With your king on g6, the squares f7, g7 and h7 are all covered. Now 11. Qe8# is checkmate: the queen covers the whole back rank. Qg7# also mates, because your king protects the queen.
Try it: mate, not stalemate
White to move. Your queen on e7 is selected. Find a checkmate. Then reset and try f7 to see the stalemate.
Show answer
Five queen moves give mate here: Qd8#, Qe8#, Qf8#, Qg7# and Qh7#. Two moves throw the win away: Qf7 and Qe6 are both stalemate, a draw.
How to spot the danger
Before every queen move in this ending, ask three questions.
- Will the king still have a legal move? If not, and you aren't giving check, it is stalemate.
- Is my queen next to the king? If so, she needs your king beside her, or she is simply captured.
- Is the king on the edge yet? If it is, stop chasing and bring your own king.
How the defending side fights back
A lone king can't stop this mate if the queen's side plays correctly, but it can make the job harder. If you are the one defending, stay in the middle of the board for as long as you can, then head for a corner: a king there has only three neighbouring squares, so one careless queen move can stalemate it. Step next to the enemy queen when you can, since an unprotected queen can be taken. And keep playing, because a stalemate turns a lost game into a draw.
Giving check after check doesn't help the attacker either. It only chases the king around, and the plan needs quiet moves.
Questions people ask
- Can a queen checkmate without the king’s help?
- Not against a lone king. A queen can drive the king to the edge alone, but she needs your king to guard her or to take away the last squares.
- How many moves do I have?
- A draw can be claimed after 50 moves by each side with no capture and no pawn move, so you have plenty of time if you follow the plan. The example on this page takes 11.
- Does the plan work on any edge?
- Yes. The board looks the same from every side, so the same steps work whichever edge the king is driven to.