Learn How to Spot Swallow's Tail Mate: Chess Puzzle with Hints
Swallowtail mate is a classic mating pattern where the enemy king is boxed in by its own pieces and pawns, leaving only one escape square that is also covered. In this kind of chess endgame or middlegame puzzle, the key idea is not material gain but king safety: the attack works because the defender’s pieces are overloaded and the king’s flight squares are restricted. Once the mating net is complete, the final checking move becomes unavoidable.