Back-rank mate
Also called Back rank weakness.
A rook or queen mates a king trapped on its back rank by its own pawns.
Rook to a8 is mate. The pawns on f7, g7 and h7, meant to shelter the king, also stop it escaping.
The cure is a little air: a pawn move such as …h6, called luft, gives the king a square to run to.
New to chess? The examples here use it. Play your first moves (five minutes), then learn chess from the beginning, one short lesson at a time.
Practise it here: ten puzzles on this idea, at a level you choose, counted in your progress.
Want more? Puzzles on this from real games, on Lichess, free and with no account. They are not counted in your progress here.
Learn and practise it
- Lesson: Back-rank mate