This mating pattern is called the Epaulettes Mate because the opponent's King is obstructed by two friendly Rooks in a way that resembles the shoulder pieces that decorate military uniforms, known as epaulettes.
The pattern involves a Queen that, alone, delivers mate from a square in front of, but not adjacent to, the opponent's King. The King is on the edge of the board and two Rooks obstruct its only two remaining escape squares. In the simplified example shown in the diagram above, White uses the pattern and wins with 1.Qe6#.
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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 Epaulettes 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.
In this Chess.com lesson, GM Simon Williams does a great job introducing various examples of Epaulettes Mate in a very instructive and fun way. Don’t forget to do the interactive challenges at the end.
Regardless of your age, this book by Murray Chandler is a fun and efficient way to learn all the most important checkmate patterns, including the Epaulettes Mate. Highly recommended.
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