Mayet's mate

In Mayet's mate, a rook attacks the king from a nearby square, usually at the board's edge, and a distant bishop protects the rook along a long diagonal. The bishop may also cover a square beside the king.

The bishop's distance is central to the idea. A quiet-looking diagonal can end exactly on the rook's square, so the king cannot capture it. The defender's own pawns or pieces usually close other exits.

A diagonal that reaches the rook

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

a1

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

The rook on g8 checks the king on h8.

The support spans the whole diagonal

The central idea is remote support: the rook mates beside the king, and a distant bishop reaches it along a completely clear diagonal. The black pawns close the remaining exits.

1. The rook on g8 checks the king on h8.
2. The b3-c4-d5-e6-f7-g8 diagonal protects the rook, so the king cannot capture it.
3. The black pawns on g7 and h7 occupy the two remaining escape squares.

When calculating the mate, inspect the entire line between bishop and rook. Any intervening piece breaks the support. Then test whether the king can escape, capture the rook, or answer with another piece. The pattern resembles other rook-and-bishop mates, including Pillsbury's mate, but the final placement and the bishop's role are not identical.