Arabian Mate

When you drive an opposing king to a corner of the chessboard, what is your favorite mating pattern? Arabian Mate, one of the oldest checkmating patterns in chess, might be what you should execute if you have a rook and knight. Here is what you should know.

What Is Arabian Mate?

Arabian Mate always involves a knight near the opposing king that is in the corner of the chessboard. The checkmate pattern is typically identified with the knight teaming up with a rook (or a queen). It is a classic knight and rook checkmate pattern that every player should know.

Pattern of Arabian Mate
The classic pattern of Arabian Mate.

Oldest Recorded Checkmate

Recorded in a ninth-century Arabic manuscript (thus the reason for its name), Arabian Mate is the oldest documented checkmate. At that time in an older form of chess, the knight and rook were the two most powerful pieces because the queen did not attain its current powers until the game migrated to Europe. In addition, the pattern also appears as a solution to a position presented in an Arabic-language manuscript that was copied in 1257. As such, it is an important part of chess history.

nullSure, a knight can jump but even more important is how it protects a rook in Arabian Mate as it covers the only escape route for an opposing king.

Remarkable Arabian Mates

One of the strongest players in the world from the 1930s to early 1950s was Grandmaster Reuben Fine, also a noted chess book author. He famously ends a tournament game with an Arabian Mate.

Fine won his game after 40 moves. Do you believe Arabian Mate can end a game as quickly as 18 moves? To see how this mate was achieved, follow the moves by Wilhelm Steinitz, the first official world champion who held the chess title from 1886 to 1894. 
 

How To Perform Knight-And-Rook Checkmate

For Arabian Mate to occur, two conditions are required. First, the opposing king is stuck in a corner of the chessboard. Second, the rook or queen cuts off the file or rank next to where the king is located. When these conditions are present, the Arabian Mate often cannot be prevented. The knight and rook cover all escape squares preventing the opposing king from moving.

Are you ready to see if you can execute Arabian Mate? Try this puzzle where White can mate Black in four moves, Arabian style. Every move is a forcing move and places Black in check. One more hint: Sacrifice a rook on move two.

 

Wrapping Up

Arabian Mate is a very common pattern in chess. Now that you know what it is and how to perform it, make sure that you identify the conditions when they are present. Knowing how to execute it may help you to win more chess games.

Arabian Mate Video