How to Checkmate With a King and Queen vs. Lone King

Chess is the most widely recognized strategy game of all time. A good chess player will say that the opening, middle game and endgame are all separate games of chess in and of themselves. Entering a Queen and King vs. King only endgame can be a confusing, frustrating mess. If one does not have the right idea, the opponent’s King can be chased aimlessly all over the chessboard, sometimes ending in a frustrating stalemate.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A chess board or internet chess site

1. 
    

   Move your Queen to a square which cuts the opponent's King off from the rest of the board. Notice here that the white King is forced to the white square just to its right or just below; any other move is illegal.

2. 
    

   Place the Queen a Knight's move away from the opponent's King. This forces the King to move somewhere other than the center of the board, allowing you to chase him to the edge where checkmate is possible.

3. 
    

   Move the Queen once again to a square that limits the opponent's King. Here, white has moved his King to g6, and due to the placement of the black King, the white King is now forced to the edge of the board. Any other move is illegal.

4. 
    

   Move your King in when you accomplish trapping the opponent's King on the edge of the board. Make sure the opponent's King can move, however, you don't want to draw the game by stalemate. Here, the King can move to either black square above or below him.

5. 
    

   Move your Queen to checkmate the opponent. Here, the white King chose to go to the corner square, allowing mate on g7, h3, h4, or h5 by black's Queen. However, had the white King decided to move DOWN one, to h6, the black Queen could have mated either by moving to g6, h4 or h3.

Tips & Warnings

• As long as you stay a Knight's move away from your opponent's King with your Queen, and bring your own King in when the opponent is trapped on an edge row, you can't go wrong!
• Remember to always allow the enemy King at least ONE square to move to; otherwise it is stalemate and you get a draw!