Railroaded into Kill Box or Triangle Mate

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Railroaded into Kill Box or Triangle Mate
Compiled by fredthebear

This mating pattern is called a Railroad checkmate. A queen and rook force the opposing king to walk between them to the edge of the board or another obstructing unit where mate occurs.

This forced king walk involves three adjacent ranks or files with one major piece on each. A queen and a rook serving as tracks are separated by one rank or file occupied by the opposing king caught between them. The rook supported by the queen, and then the queen supported by the rook, shuffle along the same rank or file giving check, pushing the opposing king farther along his same rank or file until he can go no farther and is mated. All three move in the same straight line (vertically or horizontally) like a locomotive moving down the train tracks. This mating pattern does not occur that often, and when it does, master players soon resign before it plays out to conclusion. Corridor mates (including the Lawnmower mate), Blind Swine mates on the same rank, and Arabian mates with the aid of a knight occur far more often.

The Railroad checkmate makes for a good warm-up pattern for young players AFTER they know how to conduct all types of Corridor mates.

Unfortunately, the mostly weak examples included here thus far are not to FTB's satisfaction. The reader will need to visualize the final steps from the last move given.

Site under construction until Fredthebear croaks or goes broke.

* Game Collection: Checkmate: Checkmate Patterns This link has a good, concise collection of diagrammed checkmate patterns by name. The new reader may wish to consult it initially to the point of memorization.

Two different final position shapes resulting from the Railroad technique:

Kill Box 3x3:
The kill box mate is delivered by a rook, with support of the queen. The rook is on a square adjacent to the opposing king with the queen one square away from the rook on the same diagonal. Together the queen and rook form a 3 by 3 box. The opposing king is often mated against the edge of the board, although this mate can also be applied away from the edge of the board where other pieces prevent the escape of the king.

Triangle Pattern:
The Triangle mate occurs when a queen delivers mate with support from a rook which are parallel to each other, and separated by one square. The mated king sits one rank or file away from, and midway between the queen and rook, forming a triangle between the mated king, queen and rook (all three on the same color of squares). The king is prevented from escaping backwards out of the triangle by either the edge of the board or a piece friendly to the king.

Sodium Attack: General (A00) 1-0 A True Railroad Mate!
R Durkin vs Bross, 1958
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 55 moves, 1-0
Sicilian, Canal Attack. Haag Gambit (B52) 1-0 Q supports R#
Kalegin vs S Yuferov, 1990
(B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 33 moves, 1-0
Colle-Zukertort vs Tarrasch Def (D02) 1-0Possible Railroad Mate
G A Paloma vs M F Shimwa, 2014
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 48 moves, 1-0
Zukertort Opening: $icilian Invite / Q pawn(A04) 1-0 Railroad #
P K Wells vs J Emms, 2000
(A04) Reti Opening, 34 moves, 1-0
Benoni Def: Taimanov Var (A67) 0-1 Wild sacs into rapid K chase
P Littlewood vs D Norwood, 1985
(A67) Benoni, Taimanov Variation, 43 moves, 0-1
Budapest Def. Adler Var(A52)1-0 g-file railroad mate is coming
F Vallejo Pons vs Romero Holmes, 2002
(A52) Budapest Gambit, 28 moves, 1-0
Sicilian Def. Chekhover (B53) 1-0 Railroad Finish w/Q&R
Geller vs Kogan, 1946
(B53) Sicilian, 34 moves, 1-0
Spanish, Closed. Delayed Exchange (C85) 1-0 Brief RR technique
Bronstein vs Gligoric, 1967
(C85) Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation Doubly Deferred (DERLD), 40 moves, 1-0
Trompowsky Attack (A45) 1-0 Interference; Tag Team K chase
M Karttunen vs M J Armstrong, 2006
(A45) Queen's Pawn Game, 36 moves, 1-0
Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Modern Var (A01) 1-0 Get the Q in close
L Karlsson vs J Gallagher, 2005
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 51 moves, 1-0
Not a Railroad Mate, but interesting steering of K
Maroczy vs Marshall, 1905
(C63) Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense, 58 moves, 1-0
This Dovetail+ forces a K walk into Railroad Mate if completed
G Abrahams vs J Cukierman, 1936
(A50) Queen's Pawn Game, 36 moves, 1-0
QGD Lasker Defense (D56) 1-0 A long king walk
Ivanchuk vs Onischuk, 2005
(D56) Queen's Gambit Declined, 54 moves, 1-0
Sicilian Closed Variation (B23) 1-0 Methodical destruction
G Welling vs Kappler, 1983
(B23) Sicilian, Closed, 28 moves, 1-0
P3 Stonewall Attack (D00) 1-0 Rank & File Spearheads
Pillsbury vs J M Hanham, 1893
(D00) Queen's Pawn Game, 31 moves, 1-0
Philidor Def. 5.g4 Shirov's Gambit (C41) 1-0 White penetrates
D Petrosian vs V Kutynec, 2008
(C41) Philidor Defense, 27 moves, 1-0
Game 11 in Twenty-five Annotated Games by Robert Huebner
Huebner vs J Kaplan, 1974
(E94) King's Indian, Orthodox, 42 moves, 1-0
QGD. Three Knights (D37) 1-0 Sit and solve this on your throne!
N Katishonok vs H Gulbis, 1989
(D37) Queen's Gambit Declined, 27 moves, 1-0
Scotch Game: Schmidt Var (C45) 1-0 Bxf7+, Re7+ nets royalty
Sofia Polgar vs P Sinkovics, 1992
(C45) Scotch Game, 32 moves, 1-0
QGA. Central. Greco Var (D20) 0-1 Railroad Mate is coming!
G Andre vs N Guliyev, 2010
(D20) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 38 moves, 0-1
Philidor Def w/d3 (C41) 0-1 It's a Lawnmower # instead of RR #.
N Puric vs V Ianov, 2001
(C42) Petrov Defense, 104 moves, 0-1
Russian Game 3...Qe7 (C42) 1-0 Long K walk w/railroad finish
Anderssen vs Kolisch, 1860
(C42) Petrov Defense, 46 moves, 1-0
QID: Miles Var (E12) 0-1 39...? Notes by Stockfish.
Rivas Pastor vs Huebner, 1985
(E12) Queen's Indian, 42 moves, 0-1
KGA. Allgaier Gambit Urusov Attack (C39) 1-0 Spearheads
W Shipman vs A Elo, 1946
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 27 moves, 1-0
QGD: Orthodox Def. M.L. (D63) 1-0 Q&R Railroad # w/obstruction
Kan vs Botvinnik, 1930
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 40 moves, 1-0
Vienna Gambit. Paulsen Attack (C29) 1-0 set up for Big Kill Box
Lipschutz vs W Pollock, 1889
(C29) Vienna Gambit, 30 moves, 1-0
Zukertort Opening: Sicilian Invite (A04) 1-0 Almost Triangle #
I Fancsy vs E Anka, 2003
(A04) Reti Opening, 36 moves, 1-0
KGA. Stamma Gambit (C33) 0-1 Kill Box Mate
Lionne / Morant vs Auzout / Maubuisson, 1680
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 25 moves, 0-1
Sicilian Def: Alapin. General (B22) 0-1 Triangle Mate
L Cooper vs P K Wells, 2003
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 30 moves, 0-1
Budapest Def: Rubinstein Var (A52) 0-1 3x3 Kill Box Mate
A Pavlidis vs J Dudys, 2001
(A52) Budapest Gambit, 35 moves, 0-1
Pseudo Kill Box Mate (Ks opposition) -- see kibitzer diagram!
F Valenzuela vs Alekhine, 1927
(E11) Bogo-Indian Defense, 44 moves, 0-1
Continuation 42...Kb7 43.Ra7+ Kb8 44.Qc7# Railroad Mate
Pachman vs Pomar Salamanca, 1958
(A15) English, 42 moves, 1-0
KID: Fianchetto. Panno Var (E63) 1-0Kill Box Mate w/obstruction
Karpov vs Ljubojevic, 1987
(E63) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation, 51 moves, 1-0
Game 271 Tarrasch's Dreihundert Schachpartien
Tarrasch vs Hermann Hirschler, 1893
(000) Chess variants, 31 moves, 1-0
Continuation 44. ... Bh4 45. Rb8+ Bd8 46. Rxd8# Box Mate
Nimzowitsch vs Spielmann, 1912
(C02) French, Advance, 44 moves, 1-0
Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Indian Var (A01) 1-0 Triangle/Fish Tail #
Jobava vs Mamedyarov, 2015
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 27 moves, 1-0
Spanish Game: Schliemann Def. Schönemann Attk (C63) 1-0ThrilleR
F Healey vs J Kling, 1859
(C63) Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense, 36 moves, 1-0
French Defense: Exchange (C01) 0-1 Kill Box Mate is coming!
Psakhis vs J Nogueiras, 1988
(C01) French, Exchange, 26 moves, 0-1
Mar-08-15 Phony Benoni: Spurious games of fame
W Zartobliwy vs K Wojtyla, 1947
(D01) Richter-Veresov Attack, 36 moves, 0-1
QID: Classical. Traditional Main Line (E19) 0-1 Stockfish
Gheorghiu vs Korchnoi, 1968
(E19) Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 9.Qxc3, 42 moves, 0-1
Bird Opening: From Gambit. Lasker Var (A02) 1-0 RR#/Kill Box#
Matvey Galchenko vs Omer Faruk Ozer, 2021
(A02) Bird's Opening, 30 moves, 1-0
Chigorin vs Bird, 1889
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 45 moves, 1-0
42 games

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