Tactics · Learn
The Balestra Mate
The Balestra mate is a queen-and-bishop combination: the bishop cuts off the king's escape squares from afar while the queen, supported or from close range, delivers the final blow: a crossbow ("balestra") of two long-range pieces.
How to spot it: when a bishop covers the flight squares beside the enemy king, look for a queen entry that mates, the two pieces working at right angles like a drawn bow.
How to spot it: when a bishop covers the flight squares beside the enemy king, look for a queen entry that mates, the two pieces working at right angles like a drawn bow.
Now spot it yourself
A real position: find the move. This is exactly what the drills in the app do, banded from beginner to expert.
How this lesson is made: this public explanation comes from the authored Strong Squares curriculum. Automated checks protect its chess data, source fields and learning flow. Independent chess-editor approval remains part of the private-preview release process. Read the teaching method.