LaviChess

Boden's mate: two bishops in a cross

Two bishops on crossing diagonals against a king that has castled queenside. It often starts with a queen sacrifice, and it comes like a bolt from the blue.

What it looks like

The king has castled queenside and stands on c8. One bishop gives check from a6, along the diagonal through b7. The other stands on f4 and covers b8 and c7. The diagonals cross, and the king's own pieces on d7 and d8 block the way on the other side.

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Boden's mate: the bishop on a6 gives check, and the bishop on f4 covers b8 and c7. The rook and the knight on the d-file shut the king in.

The bishops can stand far away. That is what makes the mate so easy to miss: neither of them is near the king until it is too late.

The queen sacrifice that opens the way

Often a pawn on b7 stands in the bishop's way. Then the queen can be sacrificed on c6: the pawn on b7 takes, and the diagonal is open.

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White to move and mate in two. It costs the queen.

Schulder–Boden

The pattern is named after the English master Samuel Boden, who lived from 1826 to 1882. His opponent was called Schulder, and we know nothing about him beyond the surname. The game is usually given as played in London in 1853, but the two magazines that first printed it, in 1852 and 1853, gave neither the year nor the city. Other books say 1844, 1851, 1860 or 1865. The moves are the same in the two sources we compared:

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12… Bf5

Black has castled queenside. The bishop on f5 aims along the diagonal towards b1.
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Open on the analysis board

Boden was not the first. The same mate appears in a position from a game between Horwitz and Popert, printed in 1847, and in a game by Kieseritzky printed in 1850. But it is Boden's name that has stuck.

See it coming, and defend

  • Queenside castling with your own pieces on the d-file. The rook on d1 or d8 and a knight on d2 or d7 stand in their own king's way. That is how the mate happens.
  • Two open diagonals towards the king. Look at your opponent's bishops. If both of them aim at your king, from different directions, it is time to close things up.
  • The pawn on b7, or b2. It keeps one bishop out. A queen sacrifice can lure it away, so work out what happens if it takes.
  • Give the king a square. If the king can go to b8 or d7, the pattern disappears. Sometimes a quiet king move in time is enough.

Puzzles

150 Boden's mate puzzles

Boden's mate from real games, from easy to hard.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boden's mate?

A checkmate with two bishops on crossing diagonals. One gives check and the other covers the king's last escape squares, usually against a king that has castled queenside and has its own pieces in the way.

Who was Boden?

Samuel Boden, an English chess master who lived from 1826 to 1882. The pattern carries his name after a game against a player called Schulder, but Boden was not the first to give such a mate.

Updated November 14, 2026