Compared with Anastasia’s mate, or an epaulette mate, the humble back-rank mate is named without imagination or whimsy. It is the Ronseal of mating patterns, administered by a rook or queen to a hapless king stuck on the rank behind its own pawns. But there is a rich variety of tactical motifs which culminate in this simple pattern, as shown by two of Magnus Carlsen’s recent games.
Dubov–Carlsen
FTX Crypto Cup Prelims, May 2021 (see left diagram)
Carlsen has just grabbed a pawn on e4, so the knight on d5 lacks support....
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