This mating pattern is called Vukovic's Mate because it was popularized by Croatian International Master Vladimir Vuković (the name Vuković has its roots in a word meaning "wolf", hence the icon on the card). Vuković was a famous chess writer and theoretician, and the author of the 1963 classic "The Art of Attack in Chess".
The pattern involves a Knight and a Rook attacking the opponent's King on the edge of the board. The Rook, protected by a third piece, delivers mate from a square adjacent to the King and aligned with the Knight. In the simplified example shown in the diagram above, White uses the pattern and wins with 1.Rf7#.
Designed with Love in Italy
These chess icons are our indie studio's tribute to chess lovers around the world. A way of making chess more visual and fun. You can use the icons for free in publicly accessible content, simply by crediting us (see our Licensing Policy). Each icon is paired with examples and numbered insights to help you pick up ideas quickly and talk about chess with confidence. You can get the cards here.
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 Vukovic's 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.
Have a look at this brief, high-quality introduction to the Vukovic checkmate recorded by IM Jovanka Houska for the Kasparovchess YouTube channel (channel which unfortunately is not that active anymore).
This inexpensive book by Torsten B. Mattsson is a little gem. Aimed at beginners, it presents 60 different patterns in a unique and smart way: bare pattern > mate in one > mate in two.
Don’t skip this wonderful book. Antonio Gude has done MASSIVE work, and this introduction to mating patterns is probably the most complete one out there. Plus, it’s a pleasure to read.
Skip to content
