Chess Basics: Back Rank Checkmate

The most common checkmating pattern in chess is the back-rank checkmate, which players can achieve with very few pieces. Let’s walk through the main components of this checkmate and how to recognize it on a chess board.

What Is a Back Rank Checkmate?

A back-rank checkmate is a checkmate that occurs on the top or bottom row of a chess board. These horizontal rows are called ranks. Here’s an example: 

In this position, the white rook has the black king in check. The black king can’t run away, can’t use the pawn on f7 to block the check, and can’t capture the rook. That means it’s a checkmate! 

Using the Back-Rank Checkmate

When searching for a way to checkmate an opponent, players have to look out for anything that might ruin their plan. In the position below, White is trying to get a back-rank mate:

What will happen if White sends their rook all the way to the top to check the black king? The black rook in the corner will capture it. Let’s see what what would happen if White added another attacker to help out:

Now White has two rooks on the d-file. This is called a battery, which is a formation of two or more strong pieces (queens, rooks, or bishops) on a file, rank, or diagonal that point towards the same square and have the same goal.

Thanks to the extra power of the rook battery, White is able to overpower Black and get a back-rank checkmate.