This mating pattern is called the Ladder Mate because it is delivered by two Rooks that, step by step, "climb" up the board pushing the opponent's King towards the edge until they deliver the final attack.
The pattern, also known as Lawnmower Mate, typically involves two Rooks, but its definition can also be extended to include cases where a Rook is substituted by a Queen. In the example shown in the diagram above, White uses the pattern and wins with 1.Rb8#.
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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 Ladder 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.
If you are a beginner, this book by Levy Rozman is a wonderful starting point. You can read through all of it without needing to use a board. The ladder mate is explained as well.
This book is an adaptation of the exceptional work that Raf Mesotten a.k.a. CraftyRaf originally did for his much beloved Chessable course. Complete and extremely well organized.
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