Box, edge, king, mate
The mate, move by move
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Win
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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.
Other moves here
Lesson 1 of 4
King and Queen Against King
The queen alone cannot mate, but it can build a box around the enemy king and shrink it. Keep the queen a knight's move away, drive the king to the edge, bring your own king, and watch out for stalemate.
King and queen against king is always a win, and with the queen's side to move the mate takes at most ten moves from any position. The queen does most of the work: it takes away whole ranks and files, so the enemy king is boxed in, and every queen move can make the box smaller.
A good pattern is to keep the queen a knight's move away from the enemy king: it then covers every square around the king except the ones leading back towards the edge. Once the king is on the edge, your own king must come to help, because a queen cannot mate on its own. And at every move, check that the enemy king still has a move, or it is stalemate and a draw.
Every result in this lesson comes from a tablebase. You get three conditions, each with the move that keeps the win and one that throws it away, the mate move by move, and four positions to solve.
The idea
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The box
After 1.Qf6 the queen stands a knight's move from Black's king. It takes away the f-file and the sixth rank, and Black's king has to step away from it.
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To the edge
Keeping the queen a knight's move away at every step, White has driven Black's king to the first rank. Now White's king has to come.
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The mate
With White's king on c2 guarding b1, b2 and b3, the queen mates on a6. The king and queen work together.
Before you play it: the checklist
Each condition with two positions: one where it holds and the move works, one where it is missing and the same move fails. The number is Stockfish's evaluation after the move, from the attacker's side.
1.Keep the queen safe
Never put the queen next to the enemy king unless your own king protects it.
It works
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1.Qf6Win
1.Qf6 boxes the king in from a safe distance.
It fails
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1.Qc4+Draw
1.Qc4+? puts the queen next to the king, and 1…Kxc4 is a draw.
The engine prefers Qf6 (Win).
2.In the corner, leave a square
When the king is in the corner, every queen move must leave it a move, or it is stalemate.
It works
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7.Kc2Win
7.Kc2! brings the king and leaves Black a move. It is the fastest mate.
It fails
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7.Qb3Draw
7.Qb3? takes away every square, and it is stalemate.
The engine prefers Kc2 (Win).
3.Mate, not stalemate
On the edge, look for the mate, and before any quiet move, count the enemy king's squares.
It works
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1.Qg7#Win
1.Qg7#, protected by the king.
It fails
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1.Qg6Draw
1.Qg6? takes the last square from Black's king without giving check: stalemate.
The engine prefers Qh1# (Win).
Move by move
Click a move or use the arrows. Under each note you'll find the defender's other choices and how to answer them. The number under the board is Stockfish's evaluation from the attacker's side.
eYour turn
Each position has one best move. Find it, then check the solution.
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Exercise 1
White to move. Find the fastest way to mate.
Show solution
6.Qd3
6.Qd3! leaves Black's king only a1 and a2. Every other move takes longer.
King and queen against king.
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Exercise 2
White to move. Black's king is in the corner.
Show solution
7.Kc2
7.Kc2! brings the king and mates next move. Careful: 7.Qb3? is stalemate.
King and queen against king.
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Exercise 3
White to move and mate in one.
Show solution
8.Qa6#
8.Qa6#. The king on c2 guards b1, b2 and b3.
King and queen against king.
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Exercise 4
White to move and mate in one. Beware of stalemate.
Show solution
1.Qc8#
1.Qc8#. The quiet 1.Qc7? would be stalemate.
King and queen against king.
From history
At most ten moves
With the queen's side to move, king and queen can force mate against a lone king in at most ten moves from any position, as Wikipedia's article on checkmate notes, and usually in fewer. Just after a pawn has promoted to a queen, nine moves are always enough.
Take these into your games
Build a box
Use the queen to take away ranks and files, and shrink the enemy king's space with every move.
A knight's move away
Keeping the queen a knight's move from the enemy king shrinks the box safely.
Bring the king
The queen cannot mate alone. Once the enemy king is on the edge, bring your king.
Count the squares
Before every quiet move, check that the enemy king still has a move. No move and no check is stalemate.
Keep the queen protected
Never put the queen next to the enemy king unless your king protects it.