The dovetail mate

A queen standing corner to corner with the king, and two of the king's own pieces on the squares that would have saved it.

15 positions in the course match this pattern
Lichess rating 887–2234
Section: Checkmate Patterns
Every line verified by the app’s rules engine

The pattern

The pattern, finished. The black king on e7 is in check from the queen on d6, which the pawn on c5 defends. It has eight squares to try and none of them work: d7, d8, e6, f6 and f8 are covered by the queen on d6; e8 and f7 are blocked by its own pieces; the queen on d6 cannot be taken, because the pawn on c5 defends it.

The queen is diagonally adjacent to the king and gives check. It has to be defended, or supported by something, because otherwise the king simply takes it -- a queen next to a king is not a mate by itself.

The two squares directly beside the king, one along its rank and one along its file, are occupied by pieces of its own. The queen, from its diagonal square, covers everything that is left. The shape the three of them make is a wedge closing on the king, which is where the joinery name comes from.

It is one square away from the swallowtail mate and it is worth learning the pair together. In the dovetail the king's own pieces are directly beside it and the queen is diagonal. In the swallowtail the king's own pieces are diagonal and the queen is directly in front. That distinction holds in every position of both patterns in this course.

What is always true

Each line below was tested against all 15 positions in this course that show the pattern, using the same rules engine the trainer runs on. The build stops if any of them is ever false, so the count beside each one is the real count.

The checking piece is a queen 15/15
The queen is diagonally adjacent to the king 15/15
Exactly two squares beside the king are blocked by its own pieces 15/15
Those two squares are the king's rank neighbour and its file neighbour 15/15

How to spot it

A king in the middle of the board that still has pieces of its own next to it. The pattern almost never appears against a castled king.
A queen that can reach a square diagonally adjacent to the king with support: a pawn, a rook on the file, a bishop behind it.
Two blockers before you calculate. If only one square beside the king is occupied, the pattern is not there and the check is just a check.
Endgames with a queen and one other piece. That is where this comes up most, because it needs so little material.

4 positions to solve

Real games, easiest first. The amber squares are the move your opponent has just played, not the answer. Work it out before you open the solution; the second diagram inside each answer is the finished mate with the trapped king outlined.

Position 1

White to move. Force the mate.

Show the answer

43...Kf6 44.Qe7#

The black king on f6 is in check from the queen on e7, which the pawn on d6 defends. It has eight squares to try and none of them work: e5, e6, f7, g5 and g7 are covered by the queen on e7; f5 and g6 are blocked by its own pawns; the queen on e7 cannot be taken, because the pawn on d6 defends it.

The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 887 in the Lichess pool and scored there as mate in one. The amber squares on the first diagram are the move your opponent had just played.

Position 2

Black to move. Force the mate.

Show the answer

32.Kxg3 32...Qf4#

The white king on g3 is in check from the queen on f4, which the rook on f8 defends. It has eight squares to try and none of them work: f2, f3, g4, h2 and h4 are covered by the queen on f4; g2 and h3 are blocked by its own pawns; the queen on f4 cannot be taken, because the rook on f8 defends it.

The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1369 in the Lichess pool and scored there as mate in one. The amber squares on the first diagram are the move your opponent had just played.

Position 3

White to move. Force the mate.

Show the answer

37...Kc6 38.Qd5#

The black king on c6 is in check from the queen on d5, which the rook on d3 defends. It has eight squares to try and none of them work: b5, b7, c5, d6 and d7 are covered by the queen on d5; b6 and c7 are blocked by its own pieces; the queen on d5 cannot be taken, because the rook on d3 defends it.

The position comes from an endgame of a real game, rated 1600 in the Lichess pool and scored there as mate in one. The amber squares on the first diagram are the move your opponent had just played.

Position 4

Black to move. Force the mate.

Show the answer

30.Nd6 30...Qg3+ 31.Kd2 31...Qc3#

The white king on d2 is in check from the queen on c3, which the pawn on b4 defends. It has eight squares to try and none of them work: c1, c2, d3, e1 and e3 are covered by the queen on c3; d1 and e2 are blocked by its own pieces; the queen on c3 cannot be taken, because the pawn on b4 defends it.

The position comes from the middlegame of a real game, rated 2234 in the Lichess pool and scored there as mate in two. The amber squares on the first diagram are the move your opponent had just played.

Drill the named mates until you see them 120 positions on the named mating patterns, in five graded levels, in the free Reflex Chess trainer. No account needed to start. Practise named mates

Where the name comes from

It also goes by Cozio's mate, after Carlo Cozio, the eighteenth-century Italian player and problem composer.

Easy to confuse with

These are the patterns Dovetail Mate gets mistaken for. The difference is usually one piece or one square.

Questions people ask

What is the dovetail mate?

A checkmate in which a supported queen stands diagonally next to the king, and the king's own pieces occupy the two squares directly beside it, one on its rank and one on its file.

What is the difference between the dovetail and swallowtail mates?

The position of the blockers. In the dovetail the king's own pieces are directly beside it and the queen is diagonal to it. In the swallowtail the king's own pieces are diagonal and the queen is directly in front. Both hold in every position of each pattern in this course.

Is the dovetail mate the same as Cozio's mate?

Yes. The two names refer to the same pattern.

All the named mates

One page each, or the whole set as a single motif in the course. The rest of the tactics library is at every motif in the course.