Queen and Helper Mate: Working Backwards

What if I gave you a mate in 4?  That'd be straight up hard!  What if someone suggested to you that there was checkmate in 4 moves in your game?  I bet you would have to work to find it!  Well, Mrs Jessica E Prescott (aka BoundingOwl) has a hint:  if you start with a mate in one and work backwards, you will easily see the pattern for a mate in 4!

Let's try it.  This example will be with the very common queen and helper.  That means the queen gives checkmate, and she has another piece guarding her.  Start by observing the position.  Is the black king safe?  What white pieces are around to attack?

Easy peasy!

Now, let's go backwards a move!  This is white to move and mate in two.  Remember, black gets to move, also.  How can you force a position that looks like the one above?

 

 

 

 

Here is your mate in 3!   Do you notice the subtle difference?  This trick requires a deflection.

Finally a mate in 4!  Threaten checkmate in one.  Black can stop it, but it leads to your mate in 3 above...

 

 

How did you do?  You don't always get to "work backwards" in your games, but it's a good skill to practice "observation".  Remember to click on the links if you have questions about certain words (ahem...do you know the word "subtle"?)  Have fun checkmating this week!