In chess, a back-rank checkmate is a checkmate delivered by a rook or queen along a back rank (that is, the row on which the pieces (not pawns) stand at the start of the game) in which the mated king is unable to move up the board because the king is blocked by friendly pieces (usually pawns) on the second rank (Burgess 2009:16). A typical position is shown to the right. It is also known as the corridor mate.
| Back-rank checkmates |
From Burgess, p. 16
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White wins with 1.Rd8#
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Back-rank mate after 22.Qxe8#. White captured the black rook on e8 with his queen.
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