Arabian mate

noun

A checkmate pattern in which a rook provides the checkmate to the cornered king while being protected by a knight that also covers the only would-be escape square.

Meanings

nounArabian mate (plural Arabian mates)

plural Arabian mates

  1. board gamesA checkmate pattern in which a rook provides the checkmate to the cornered king while being protected by a knight that also covers the only would-be escape square.

Origin

Possibly named such because the pattern was also possible in shatranj, the Middle Eastern predecessor to chess which included rooks and knights but had many other differences. According to various sources, the mate is described in an eighth century Arabic manuscript, but this claim could not be substantiated. The pattern, however, does appear as a solution to a position presented in an anonymous Arabic-language manuscript that was copied in 1257 (original source of material unknown).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish arabialainen matti
  • arabialainen mattiTranslations
German arabisches Matt
  • arabisches MattTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

Arabian mate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Arabian%20mate

MLA

“Arabian mate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Arabian%20mate. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Arabian mate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Arabian%20mate.

Source: Arabian mate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.