Greco's mate

Greco's mate occurs when the king is in a corner or close to the edge. A rook, or sometimes a queen, checks along an open row or column. A bishop controls the diagonal square through which the king would try to escape, while one of the defender's own pieces or pawns occupies another exit.

The Rook in Command

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The rook on a8 gives check along the eighth rank; the same line prevents an escape to g8.

The Eighth Rank Decides

The rook dominates the king's rank; the bishop and Black's pawn close the remaining escape squares.

1. The rook on a8 gives check along the eighth rank; the same line prevents an escape to g8.
2. The bishop on h6 controls g7, the diagonal escape square the rook does not cover.
3. Black's pawn on h7 occupies the remaining escape square and completes the cage.

The coordination is exact. The rook or queen forces a response to the check, the bishop covers a direction the rook cannot cover, and the defender's own structure completes the cage. If any part is missing, the king usually has an escape square or a way to block the check.

A useful visual clue is a king near the corner, an open line aimed at it, and a bishop pointing toward the nearby inner escape square. Although it resembles Morphy's mate, in Greco's mate the rook or queen is normally the piece that gives the final check.