mate
2
8.2
- noun
- /meɪt/
- Jargon
:
jaque mate
- If you move your knight to E7, you will achieve mate in one move.
- mate in four moves
Examples
-
- Mate in five.
-
Although black has short-term threats, there's no perpetual check, let alone a freak mate.
-
It's set up for a mate in one.
-
Check mate in three, you should have seen it coming.
-
That will be mate in two.
-
He's threatening mate in one.
-
Check mate.
-
I am sorry for your trouble, Karl, says Dr. Samson, but if I move my rook like this, it's a forced mate in three.
Fiction book (2000) -
Absentmindedly, Vadim set up wooden chess pieces for a mate-in-three.
Fiction book (1995) -
She announced a forced mate in three moves, surprising her opponent.
Synonyms
12
5.0
A position in chess where the king is under attack and cannot escape
Compounds
38
3.4
A person you feel a deep, natural connection with as a close friend or romantic partner
Surface Forms
Etymology
The chess noun mate meaning a winning 'checkmate' comes from Persian māt 'helpless' in shah māt, so a mate is the final helpless position that ends the game.