Swallow's Tail Mate in Chess: Pattern, Examples and Puzzles
A swallow's tail mate is a checkmate in which a queen, protected by another piece, checks the king from the square next to it, in a straight line, while the king's own pieces block the two squares diagonally behind it. The pieces form a V, like the tail of a swallow. It is also called the guéridon mate.
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Swallow's tail mate at a glance
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A queen, protected by a rook, bishop or other piece
The king
Not on the edge, with its own pieces on both squares diagonally behind it
Key square
The square next to the king, in a straight line, with the queen protected
A queen (sometimes a rook) can land on a square next to the king, in a straight line rather than diagonally, with a rook, bishop or other piece protecting it so the king cannot capture it.
The king's own pieces stand on the two squares diagonally behind it. Together with the queen, they make a V or Y shape.
The queen covers every other square around the king, so the only squares left are the ones the king's own pieces occupy.
The queen is often offered or placed with check to force the king onto the right square first, as in the examples below.
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 #6: White to play (rated 1024)
White to play. Black has just played king to g7. Take a moment to look at the whole board. The king is running out of squares. Can you find the winning check?
Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/00CtS.
Position (FEN): Q7/5qk1/p2p4/b1p1pr2/P7/6P1/4KP1R/8 w - - 4 39
Solution
Qh8+ — White: Queen to h8, check.
Kg6 — Black: King to g6.
Qh6# — White: Queen to h6, checkmate.
Queen to h8, check. We offer the queen, and the king cannot take it, because our rook on h2 protects it. Black's only move is king to g6. Queen to h6, checkmate.
Why this is a swallow's tail mate. Black's king is on g6. White's queen on h6, protected by the rook on h2, checks from beside it. The king's own queen on f7 and rook on f5 block the two squares behind it, and the queen covers everything else.
Daily Chess Puzzle #21: Black to play (rated 1046)
Black to play. White just played king to f1. Take a moment to look at the whole board. There is a forced mate here. Can you see how it starts?
Play it on Lichess before reading on: lichess.org/training/02jeT.
Position (FEN): 8/1kp5/1p1p4/4p3/4P2q/1PNP1Qb1/1PP3P1/5K2 b - - 3 38
Solution
Qh1+ — Black: Queen to h1, check.
Ke2 — White: King to e2.
Qe1# — Black: Queen to e1, checkmate.
Queen to h1, check. The king cannot go to e1, because our bishop on g3 controls that square. White has no choice. King to e2. Queen to e1, checkmate.
Why this is a swallow's tail mate. White's king is on e2. Black's queen on e1, protected by the bishop on g3, checks from directly in front. White's own pawn on d3 and queen on f3 block the two squares diagonally behind the king.
Playing the queen next to the king without support. If nothing protects it, the king captures it.
Confusing it with the dovetail mate. In the dovetail mate the queen is diagonally next to the king; in the swallow's tail it is next to the king in a straight line.
Defending: letting your own pieces gather on the squares behind a king that has stepped into the open. The pieces meant to protect the king become its cage.
Where does the name come from?
Lichess describes the pattern as visually resembling a swallow's tail, similar to a V shape. Wikipedia lists the guéridon mate as another name for it.
Swallow's tail mate FAQ
What is a swallow's tail mate?
A checkmate in which a protected queen checks the king from a square next to it, in a straight line, while the king's own pieces block the two squares diagonally behind it. The shape looks like the tail of a swallow.
What is a guéridon mate?
It is another name for the swallow's tail mate. Wikipedia lists the two names together.
Is the swallow's tail the same as the dovetail mate?
No. Wikipedia treats them as separate patterns. In the dovetail mate the queen is diagonally next to the king; in the swallow's tail the queen is next to the king in a straight line.
How is it like the epaulette mate?
Both use the king's own pieces to block its escape and a check from directly in front. In the epaulette mate the blockers stand beside the king; in the swallow's tail they stand diagonally behind it.
How can I practise a swallow's tail 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
Epaulette mate: The king's own rooks block both sides while a queen or rook checks from the front.
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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