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Miguel Illescas:
One of the oldest examples of this mate can be
found in Greco´s chess book. Although it doesn´t
form part of this article´s theme, I offer some light
commentary of the opening.
Lucena´s mate
Knowledge of the basic mate structures is essential
to improve your play. This article is intended to
help players in the range 1600-2200 elo rating.
Lucena´s mate is frequently referred to as the
"smothered mate", as the Knight is the piece that
executes the last and mortal attack on the enemy
King.
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The diagram features the position originally
attributed to Lucena. White, with a huge material
disadvantage, must act fast and convincingly. The
combination is based on the connection of a very
precise series of checks:
1.De6 Kh8
Black`s King prefers the corner as after 1...Kf8
2.Df7# a typical mate appears on the board,
commonly known as the "kiss mate ", after the
suffocating hug and lethal kiss that the King
receives from the enemy Queen.
2.Sf7 Kg8 3.Sh6!
This double check is crucial and definitely essential
to achieve the mate that follows. An important
factor that must be taken into account is that the
check is delivered with two pieces, which means
that even if the Queen is threatened it will still be a
valid check.
3...Kh8
The King returns to the theoretical safety of the
corner, reaching the critical moment of the
combination. White could repeat moves and achieve
a draw with 4.
Sf7 but instead he seeks and finds
something better.
4.Dg8!!
A beautiful sacrifice which Black is forced to
accept. The black Rook is forced to stand next to his
King, blocking out his only escaping square.
4...Tg8 5.Sf7#
And the Knight ends the sequence of checks
producing a mate based on blockade: the rook and
pawns make up the coffin of the dead King.
NN (unknown) : Greco G.
Europe 1620
1.e4 e5 2.Sf3 Sc6 3.Lc4 Lc5 4.0–0 Sf6 5.Te1 0–0
6.c3 De7?!
Long gone are the days in which the opening could
be played in such a carefree way!
Nowadays we know that Greco´s move is weak, and
that the best way to answer White´s innocent
opening is with the small combination initiated by
6...Se4!? If then 7.d4 ed4 8.cd4 Lb4 9.Te4 d5, Black
recover´s the material and achieves an excellent
position.
The consolidation of the center with 6...d6 would
also be good and strategically sound. The advance
7.d4 would be answered by 7...Lb6, maintaining
instead an important pawn on e5.
7.d4 ed4?
Again, better was 7...Lb6, holding the center and
giving the previous Queen move some sense.
8.e5?!
White complicates his life unnecessarily. After the
normal 8.cd4 White would have a huge advantage,
for example: 8...Lb4 9.Sc3 and if 9...Lc3 10.bc3
Se4? 11.Dc2, winning.
8...Sg4
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9.cxd4?
However, and this is why chess is fascinating, this
natural move is now a big mistake as Black will
now demonstrate relentlessly.
In any case, things were not so easy now, as after
the sharp alternative 9.Lg5 Black has the hidden
combination: 9...dc3! 10.Le7 Lf2 11.Kf1 cb2 12.Sc3
Le1! emerging from the mess with a material
advantage.
Because of this, in order to preserve the initiative,
White should have inserted 9.b4! Lb6 and only now
10.Lg5! No doubt, this is a subtlety that was
FIDE SURVEYS – Miguel Illescas
1
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21.Kg1
Obviously 21.Tf2 Df2, was also possible although
Black's advantage would be overwhelming. In
addition to his material superiority he would have a
decisive advantage in development.
The exchange sacrifice is only feasible, as in this
case, when a rook controls the check on f2 (or f7),
although the compensation is normally inadequate.
The well-known mating pattern is easily detected
now.
21...Sh3 22.Kh1 Dg1 23.Tg1 Sf2#
Up to now everything seems clear but one has to be
careful with illusions!
completely out of the range of Greco´s opponents,
who were quite weak in general.
But now, the great Calabrian offers us a splendid
combination.
9...Sd4! 10.Sd4 Dh4
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The simultaneous attack on two vital squares of the
castled King fully justify the sacrificed piece.
11.Sf3?
Better was 11.Le3, although after 11...Dh2 12.Kf1
Dh1 13.Ke2 Dg2 Black gets a strong attack in
return.
After the mistake made in the game, the Lucena
mate can be delivered elegantly.
11...Df2 12.Kh1 Dg1! 13.Sg1 Sf2#.
In the next game, Black – a young Polish man who
years later would become a Grand Master – though
that he could finish off a good game with a fantastic
culmination, in pure Lucena style.
The best players in the world have always had this
mate in their tactical arsenal.
Here is a game of the legendary North American
champion Paul Morphy, playing on home soil when
he was only twelve years old.
Ravi T. : Gdanski J.
World under 16, Rio Gallegos 1986
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14...c4! 15.Lc4 Lc5!
White is about to lose a piece, so therefore he tries
to leave the black King in an uncomfortable
situation in the middle of the board.
16.Lf7 Kf7 17.Db3 Ke7 18.Lc5?!
Slightly better was 18.cb4 although after 18...Le3
19.De3 Black has 19...Da7!, with a favorable ending
in which White's pawns will offer good
compensation for the sacrificed piece, although in
reality they are quite weak.
18...Dc5 19.Kh1 Se4?!
There was really no need to be so greedy, but I think
that Black already had the Lucena mate in mind.
Mac Connel J. : Morphy P.
New Orleans 1849
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18...Db6
Without a doubt Morphy wanted to finish off the
game in great style. Therefore he prepares the
knight jump to f3, but his opponent protects himself
by moving away his king, and Black has to end the
game in a rather mundane way.
19.Kh1 Sc2 20.Dc2 Sf2
FIDE SURVEYS – Miguel Illescas
2
 The simple 19...Tb8 would have kept the center
closed and Black's King would have been
completely safe.
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20.cb4
Gdansky considers that the moment to initiate the
decisive combination has arrived, but his next move
throws away any advantage he may have attained.
20...Sf2?
Controlling the game with the precise 20...Tb8! was
necessary.
21.Kg1! Sh3 22.Kh1 Dg1??
It's obvious that move repetition with 22...Sf2 was
the correct idea, and the game would have headed
towards a draw, but the Polish representative was
still fascinated by the mating idea.
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23.Sg1! 1:0.
Szieberth A. : Rajlich V.
Budapest 2001
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31...Sc2 32.Kb1 Sa3 33.Ka1
The sequence of checks that takes us to the moment
of truth.
33...Db1! 0:1.
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Here it is! The fundamental difference is that after
34.Sb1 Lb2 is mate.
Surprisingly, the following year the same main
character received mate instead of giving it. We
shall use this example to summarize step by step the
mechanics of the Lucena mate, before we examine
some more complex situations.
Rajlich V. : Horvath C.
Budapest 2002
On this occasion the mating sequence is clean, with
no added elements.
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31...Dc5
First: the Queen occupies the critical diagonal,
sending the enemy King to the corner.
32.Kh1 Sf2
Second: the Knight commences his mortal dance.
As an off-topic, the computer program Rybka,
several times world champion, has been disqualified
by the competent organism, accused of copying the
code of other programs without giving the
corresponding credit.
Be that as it may, the author of Rybka is still a
strong over-the-board player. We shall use one of
his games to illustrate an example which is similar
to the previous one, but that has an important
difference that allows an acrobatic queen sacrifice in
order to achieve a successful checkmate.
FIDE SURVEYS – Miguel Illescas
3
 33.Kg1 Sh3
Third: the fundamental double check with Queen
and Knight is delivered.
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34.Kh1 Dg1! 0:1.
And fourth: attraction and blockading sacrifice.
Only the mate is left, if our opponent allows us of
course.
In the next game, Black, a strong North American
master, fell victim to a more refined version of the
Lucena mate.
Benko P. : Horowitz I.
USA Ch, New York 1968
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White starts a long distance attacking combination,
including the sacrifice of the rook on a1.
14.Sd5! Sb3 15.Df4! Sd5?
Black accepts the challenge, although it would have
been safer to proceed with 15...Le6.
Now, the black King falls under the combined
attack of the enemy Queen and Knights, supported
from behind by the bishops.
16.Df5 Sa1
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17.Sf7!
Black probably expected 17.La1 Sf6 18.Lb7 La3
with a reasonable position.
17...Dc8
Trying to save face, as after 17...Tf7 18.Ld5 White's
advantage would be decisive thanks to the action of
the bishop.
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18.Sh6!
Let us now consider some games between players of
a higher level in which the Lucena mate made its
appearance in some way or another.
Pay attention to the following piece constellation, as
it allows a very long combination that ends in a
forced mate.
Biliy V. : Vovk Y.
Alushta, 2006
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34...Tg1! 35.Kg1 De1 36.Tf1 De3 37.Kh1 Sf2
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38.Kg1
The weakness of the back rank is a key factor in this
combination as it invalidates the capture of the
Knight as a possible defense.
38...Sh3 39.Kh1 Dg1 40.Tg1 Sf2#.
FIDE SURVEYS – Miguel Illescas
4
 An original attacking idea, taking advantage of the
strength of the other bishop. The knight can't be
captured.
18...Kh8 19.Dd5
Black's position is lost but his next move allows an
unexpected ending.
19...Sc2 20.Dg8! 1:0.
Once again the sacrifice appears although this time
the preparation has been quite different.
We shall finalize this article with a curious example
that also features two very strong players.
What makes this game remarkable is the originality
of the mating construction and the fact that both
white knights try to deliver the check mate! The first
knight didn't make it but the second one did!
Akopian V. : Piskov Y.
Uzhgorod 1988
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21...f4 22.De6!
The strong Armenian player judges correctly that
after 22.Lh4 Sf5 23.c3 Lc8 Black would have the
advantage due to the bad position of the white queen
and bishop. Therefore he decides to exchange two
pieces for a rook and a pawn.
22...Kh8 23.Sf7 Tf7
Black's rook neutralizes White's first assault with
the cavalry after which the position is quite equal. In
any case, it is a very fragile dynamic equilibrium
which demands very precise play by both players.
24.Df7 fg3 25.Sg3 Tg8?
Black's first mistake arrives quickly, with this
passive move. He should have opened a window
with 25...g6 or 25...h6. The punishment will be
severe.
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26.Te7! Le7 27.Sf5 Df4?
White has recovered material with interest, but the
black queen's journey hasn't brought anything good.
28.g3! Df3 29.Tb7 Lf6 30.Sh6!
The X-ray attack by White's queen-rook duo along
the seventh rank pressures h7, allowing this elegant
knight jump.
30...Ta8 31.Dg8!
and
Black resigned.
The next example involves two strong Grand
Masters. Black becomes confused after a sudden
attack against his Queen and forgets about the safety
of his King for a moment.
Bischoff K. : Mueller K.
German Championhip 2004
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29.Te3! Td8? 30.De1!
Black was planning on sacrificing the exchange in
order to eliminate the annoying enemy knight, but
we shall see how White's last two moves have
woven a net around his opponent's Queen.
30...Tb8?
Indeed, after the projected 30...Td6 31.Lc2! would
follow and the black queen would be trapped, but
the game move is another calculation mistake.
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31.Te6! fe6
After 31...Tb3 32.Te8 Black receives mate on the
back rank. After the capture of the white rook the
game ends quickly in a way that we already know
quite well.
32.De6 Kh8 33.Sf7 Kg8 34.Sh6 Kh8 35.Dg8 Sg8
36.Sf7#.
FIDE SURVEYS – Miguel Illescas
5
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