Chess Patterns ❯ Checkmate Patterns | Mates by the Touch of a Rook ❯ Vukovic's Mate
Vukovic's Mate
Vukovic's Mate
Pattern Card
Created with Love in Italy
Created with Love in Italy
These cards are our tiny indie studio's tribute to chess lovers around the world.
Part of the 'Chess With Cards' Game
Part of the 'Chess With Cards' Game
This card and all other Pattern Cards are included in our upcoming Chess With Cards game.
Ship it from the U.S. or Print it Yourself
Ship it from the U.S. or Print it Yourself
Choose delivery from our print-on-demand U.S. provider, The Game Crafter, or download and print at home.


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#.
Master Vukovic's Mate
While creating Chess With Cards, we watched many videos and read a lot of books. Here's our curated selection of the best resources 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.
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WATCH ON YOUTUBE
What is the Vukovic Checkmate in Chess?
This is another great short by Chess Knowledge with H1 YouTube channel. This time the focus is on Vukovic's Mate. Start here if you are in a hurry.
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WATCH ON YOUTUBE
Vukovic Mate - Introduction by IM Jovanka Houska
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).
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WATCH ON YOUTUBE
15 Beginner checkmate patterns
Put the Vukovic Mate in the wider context of several other mating patterns. Watch this excellent presentation by Complete Chess.
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GET IT ON AMAZON
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.
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GET IT ON AMAZON
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.
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Vukovic's Mate
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