Monster Checkmates on the Queen's Side!

Here are some common checkmate puzzles on the queenside for you!  Not everyone castles kingside all the time, right?  (I guess not everyone castles, even though I can't count the number of times I told them to!)  So you should be prepared to checkmate the king no matter where he is! By, Mrs Jessica E Prescott (aka BoundingOwl).

Notice how the focal squares are different.  If black is castled kingside, the weak squares are g7 and h7.  What if he/she is castle queenside?

1.  White has a lovely fianchettoed bishop.  What a big help!

 

 

 

2.  Black is completely trapped!  Seatbelt time!

 

 

 

3.  This is called Boden's Mate.  (Click for more practice!)  No queens necessary!

 

 

4.  All minor piece work here.  Good knight!

 

 

 

5.  Ah, but it's pinned!  Remember:  pinned pieces do not protect! (Practice pin mates here.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great job!  That was a snap!  Now you can see that the squares b7 and c7 (and sometimes a7) are critical places to attack when black is castled queenside.  Can you figure out what white's weak squares would be?