Tactics · Learn
The Épaulette Mate
In an épaulette mate, the king is checked head-on while its own two pieces (usually rooks) sit on the squares to either side like a pair of epaulettes, blocking its only escapes. A queen delivers the frontal blow.
How to spot it: when the enemy king is flanked by its own rooks on adjacent squares, a supported queen check straight in front can be mate: the king's shoulders are its undoing.
How to spot it: when the enemy king is flanked by its own rooks on adjacent squares, a supported queen check straight in front can be mate: the king's shoulders are its undoing.
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.