Boden's mate puzzles
77 free boden's mate puzzles from real games, rated 904 to 2259. Solve them on the board below; your accuracy feeds your weakness map.
What is a boden's mate?
Boden's mate uses two bishops on crossing diagonals to mate a king, typically one that has castled queenside and is hemmed in by its own pieces on d7 or d8.
The usual setup is a queen sacrifice on c6 or c3 that rips open the diagonal. If you play opposite-side castling, this pattern is worth knowing cold.
Common mistake
Missing that the king's own pieces do the blocking. Count escape squares, not attackers.
How to spot it
Is the enemy king on c8/c1 with its own pieces on d7/d8 or b8?
Do you have two bishops aimed at the king's diagonals?
Look for a sacrifice on c6/c3 that forces the b-pawn to recapture and opens the line.
Related themes
- Mate in 1One move, game over. Train the reflex.
- Mate in 2A forcing move, then the finish.
- Mate in 3Longer forcing lines. Calculation practice.
- Back-rank mateThe king trapped behind its own pawns.
- Smothered mateA knight mates a king boxed in by its own pieces.
Let the adaptive drill find your weakest pattern
Puzzles: Lichess puzzle database (CC0), filtered for popularity and play count. See how Weakspot works.