Rooks in the Mist - Control of the Seveth Rank

Vocabulary Note- The chess board has Files and Ranks - Ranks go across the board, all of your pawns are on the second rank, your opponents pawn are on the seventh rank.

Now onto today's Lesson.

In this diagram

Black's rooks dominate the seventh rank

(from Black's perspective) and the rooks are ready to mate white. Do you see how?

First we check the white king.

Then again, now that we have the rook file covered with one rook we can use the other rook to deliver mate. Remember a key to mating the king is, " Take away all potential flight squares from the king, then deliver mate."