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  • Lesson 21 of 32
  • Checkmate patterns
  • 3 min

The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks

With two rooks you don't need your king at all. The rooks take turns: one holds a rank so the king can't come back, the other checks on the next rank, and the king is pushed up the board one rung at a time, like a ladder. A queen and a rook mate the same way.

Step 1 of 4

  1. Up the ladder

    The rook on b4 holds the 4th rank, so the black king can't come down. Watch the ladder mate: the other rook checks on the 5th rank, and the king has to go up. The first rook checks on the 6th, the king goes up again, and so on until the king runs out of board. Each check pushes the king up one rank, and the other rook stops it coming back.

  2. The last rung

    The rook on a7 holds the 7th rank, and the king is on the edge. One more check finishes it.

    Your move

    Checkmate in one move.

  3. When the king comes close

    Now the black king on c7 is near your rooks. The rook on a6 holds the 6th rank, and the next check would be Rb7+. Why is that a mistake?

    Question

  4. Swap to the far side

    Move the b1 rook across to the other side of the board, out of the king's reach, then carry on up the ladder. If the king attacks your other rook, slide that one away along its rank too: from the far end, it still holds the line.

    Your move

    Checkmate the black king. The bot will defend.

What you learned

  • Two rooks mate without the king's help: one holds a rank, the other checks on the next.
  • The king is pushed to the edge one rank at a time, and mated there.
  • When the king comes close to a rook, move that rook to the far side before checking.

In this course

Unit 1The pieces

  1. The Chessboard and How to Set Up the Pieces
  2. How the Rook Moves in Chess
  3. How the Bishop Moves in Chess
  4. How the Queen Moves in Chess
  5. How the King Moves in Chess
  6. How the Knight Moves in Chess
  7. How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess
  8. Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth

Unit 2Special moves

  1. What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It
  2. How to Castle in Chess: Kingside and Queenside
  3. En Passant in Chess, Explained on the Board
  4. Pawn Promotion in Chess: Turning a Pawn Into a Queen

Unit 3Winning the game

  1. What Is Checkmate? Learn to Mate in One
  2. Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw
  3. How to Checkmate With a King and Queen

Unit 4Your first tactics

  1. The Fork: Attack Two Pieces at Once
  2. The Pin in Chess: Freeze a Piece in Place
  3. The Skewer in Chess: Attack Through a Piece

Unit 5Checkmate patterns

  1. Back-Rank Mate in Chess: Spot It and Stop It
  2. Smothered Mate in Chess: The Knight's Checkmate
  3. The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks
  4. How to Checkmate With a King and Rook

Unit 6More tactics

  1. Discovered Attack in Chess: Unmask a Hidden Attacker
  2. Double Check in Chess: Two Checks at Once
  3. Removing the Defender in Chess: Take the Guard

Unit 7Opening principles

  1. Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle
  2. How to Develop Your Pieces in the Chess Opening
  3. Scholar's Mate: How It Works and How to Stop It
  4. Fool's Mate: The Fastest Checkmate in Chess

Unit 8Endgame basics

  1. The Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
  2. The Opposition in Chess: King Endgame Basics
  3. King and Pawn vs King: How to Win the Ending

Lessons for every game

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