This mating pattern is called the Arabian Mate because it was first documented by early Arabic chess scholars. It is one of the oldest known checkmating patterns, appearing in some Arabic manuscripts as early as the eighth century.
The pattern involves a Knight and a Rook attacking the opponent's King in the corner. The Rook, protected by the Knight, delivers mate from a square adjacent to the King. In the simplified example shown in the diagram above, White uses the pattern and wins with 1.Rg8#.
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When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on the Arabian Mate. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this checkmate pattern.
Watch this fun lesson by GM Simon Williams about Arabian Mates that occurred in real games. And at the end go for the chess.com exercises linked to the video!
This is the first workbook in an excellent series written by former Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar. Focused on checkmates, ideal for beginners and young players alike.
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