smothered mate

American  

noun

Chess.

1. checkmate delivered by a knight when the king's mobility is restricted by his own pieces.

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smothered mate British  

noun

1. chess checkmate given by a knight when the king is prevented from moving by surrounding men

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Etymology

Origin of smothered mate

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Eventually yearn to execute a perfect smothered mate.

From Slate

In the scenario, player A can win against player B with the well-known five-move “smothered mate” sequence but supposedly can also win more quickly with a three-move sequence.

From Scientific American

In some of these experiments the scientists presented master chess players with a virtual board that had two solutions: They could achieve checkmate with a well-known five-sequence move called smothered mate or with a much swifter three-step solution.

From Scientific American

The players were told to reach checkmate as quickly as possible, but once they recognized the smothered mate as a possibility they became seemingly incapable of noticing the more efficient strategy.

From Scientific American

Conversely, when the smothered mate was not viable, the players’ gazes shifted to regions of the chessboard crucial to the swifter strategy.</p>

From Scientific American