Blind Swine Mate

In the blind swine mate two rooks doubled on the seventh rank protect each other in front of the king and mate it. It shows the power of rooks on the seventh.

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Start
Pieces
Two rooks
Level
Intermediate
Mating side
White
Also known as
kör domuzlar, yedinci sırada iki kale, blind swine mate, blind pigs

Moves

1.Rbg7#

1.Rbg7 gives check. The g7 rook is protected by the h7 rook and vice versa. The king can take neither and its own rook is on f8: mate.

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How to recognise Blind Swine Mate

  • Both rooks are on the seventh rank (second for Black).
  • The rooks protect each other side by side.

How to defend

  • Don't let enemy rooks invade your seventh rank; challenge them with your own rook.
  • Leave your king a way out via f7 (f2).
Blind Swine Mate: the final position

Frequently asked questions

Why 'blind swine'?

Master Dawid Janowski compared two rooks devouring everything on the seventh rank to 'blind pigs'.

Why is the seventh rank so important?

The opponent's pawns live there and the king is often confined to the back rank.

Continue with lessons

Similar checkmate patterns

  • Ladder Mate (Two Rooks) — In the ladder mate two rooks (or rook and queen) take turns giving check, push the king to the edge and mate it.
  • Back-Rank Mate — In a back-rank mate the king is trapped behind its own pawns and a rook or queen mates on the last rank.
  • Anderssen's Mate — In Anderssen's mate a rook checks on the back rank; it is protected by a pawn on g7, which in turn is protected by a bishop on the long diagonal.

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