Checkmate

Checkmate occurs when the king is in check and the player has no legal reply. The game ends immediately, and the player who created the position wins, provided the mating move was legal. The king is never captured or removed from the board.

To confirm mate, every defense must be ruled out: moving the king to safety, capturing the checking piece, or blocking the attack when there is a square between attacker and king. Giving check back, making another capture, or creating a new threat is irrelevant if the player's own king remains attacked.

The number or value of the remaining pieces does not change the result. A player with a large advantage can still be checkmated, and one piece can deliver the final attack while other pieces cover the escape squares. What matters is that no legal move removes the check.