Pillsbury's Mate in Chess: Pattern, Examples and Puzzles
Pillsbury's mate is a checkmate in which a rook gives the check while a bishop takes away the king's escape squares. It is named after the American master Harry Nelson Pillsbury and is the mirror of Morphy's mate, where the bishop gives the check and the rook confines the king.
Updated
Pillsbury's mate at a glance
Delivered by
A rook (check) and a bishop (covers an escape square)
The king
Castled, usually on g8 or g1, beside its own pawns
Key square
The square the bishop covers, such as h7 for a king on g8
A rook that can give check along the king's rank or file, and a bishop that already covers one of the king's escape squares.
A castled king beside its own pawns. The pawns, the rook and the bishop between them take care of every square.
The bishop's diagonal is the key. In the first example below the bishop on e4 covers h7, the one square a king on g8 could otherwise use.
Compare it with Morphy's mate. In Pillsbury's mate the rook delivers the mate and the bishop confines the king; in Morphy's mate the roles are swapped.
Worked examples from the daily puzzles
Each position comes from a real game in the open Lichess puzzle database and is checked before it is published. Set it up, look for the pattern, and only then read the solution.
Daily Chess Puzzle #9: White to play (rated 936)
White to play. Black just played rook takes on e5. It wins a pawn, or so it seems. Can you find the checkmate?
Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/01Md6.
Position (FEN): 6k1/p4pp1/7p/4r3/P2pB3/4n2P/1r4P1/2R1R2K w - - 0 30
Solution
Rc8+ — White: Rook to c8, check.
Re8 — Black: Rook to e8.
Rxe8# — White: Rook takes on e8, checkmate.
Rook to c8, check. The king cannot go to h7, because our bishop on e4 controls that square. Black has no choice. Rook to e8. And now, rook takes on e8, checkmate.
Why this is Pillsbury's mate. Black's king is on g8 with its own pawns on f7 and g7. White's rook on e8 gives the check along the back rank, and White's bishop on e4 covers h7, the one square the king might have used.
Daily Chess Puzzle #16: Black to play (rated 1097)
Black to play. White just played pawn to e8, promoting to a queen. The white king on g1 is short of squares. The king is running out of squares. Can you find the winning check?
Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/01RPd.
Position (FEN): 1R2Q3/6k1/6p1/6P1/2p1b3/2Pn2pP/r7/6K1 b - - 0 38
Solution
Ra1+ — Black: Rook to a1, check.
Rb1 — White: Rook to b1.
Rxb1# — Black: Rook takes on b1, checkmate.
Rook to a1, check. The king cannot go to f1, because our rook on a1 controls that square. White's only move is rook to b1. And now, rook takes on b1, checkmate.
Why this is Pillsbury's mate. White's king is on g1. Black's rook on b1 gives the check along the first rank, Black's bishop on e4 covers g2, and Black's pawn on g3 covers f2 and h2.
White to play. Black has just played rook to d8. It looks safe. It is not. The king is running out of squares. Can you find the winning check?
Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02dPT.
Position (FEN): 3r2k1/p4pp1/1p3b1p/3Q1B2/5p2/2q4P/P4PP1/3R2K1 w - - 2 32
Solution
Qxd8+ — White: Queen takes on d8, check.
Bxd8 — Black: Bishop takes on d8.
Rxd8# — White: Rook takes on d8, checkmate.
Queen takes on d8, check. We give up the queen for a rook. So Black has just one move: bishop takes on d8. And now, rook takes on d8, checkmate.
Why this is Pillsbury's mate. Black's king is on g8 with pawns on f7 and g7. White's rook on d8 gives the check along the back rank and White's bishop on f5 covers h7.
Moving the bishop off its diagonal too early. It is the piece that closes the escape square.
Counting the king's squares carelessly. One uncovered square is enough for the king to survive.
Defending: leaving the diagonal next to the castled king open. A pawn or piece on the bishop's path, such as a pawn on g6, stops it.
Where does the name come from?
It is named after the American master Harry Nelson Pillsbury.
Pillsbury's mate FAQ
What is Pillsbury's mate?
A checkmate in which a rook gives the check while a bishop cuts off the king's escape. Wikipedia describes it as attacking the king with the rook while the bishop is cutting off the king.
Who was Pillsbury?
Harry Nelson Pillsbury was an American chess master, and the mate is named after him. Wikipedia notes that it is very similar to Morphy's mate.
What is the difference between Pillsbury's mate and Morphy's mate?
The roles are swapped. In Pillsbury's mate a rook delivers the checkmate and a bishop confines the king. In Morphy's mate a bishop delivers the checkmate and a rook confines the king.
How can I practise Pillsbury's mate?
Work through the puzzles on this page, then try the daily puzzles linked below. RankUp Chess, an offline chess academy for kids, has a library of 5,000+ puzzles you can filter by difficulty and theme. It is free to play, with no ads and no subscription.
Related checkmate patterns
Morphy's mate: A bishop gives the mate while a rook and a pawn confine the king.
Opera mate: A rook checks on the back rank and a bishop protects it.
Back-rank mate: A rook or queen mates a king boxed in by its own pawns on the back rank.
RankUp Chess is an offline chess academy for kids: 5,000+ puzzles, 10 AI levels and lessons. Free to play forever, one payment unlocks it all. No ads, no subscription.
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