The Smothered Mate Pattern

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The Smothered Mate or Philidor's Legacy typically occur with the opponent King on h8 or a8 surrounded by pieces and the White Knight delivering mate on f7 and g6 or c7 and b6.

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Here are some games.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1521254

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1383799

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1551419

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On the other hand, there are some games where the mate occured at the middle of the board.

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1243016

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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1243092

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Now time for some puzzles. I'm sure you can easily solve these.

Godoy - Castro, 2004 Black to move and win

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Yagupov - Krusnullin, 1999 White to move and win

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Thanks for reading and have fun with chess!

The Smothered Mate Pattern | Ecency