Smothered by Its Own Army

Black's king is boxed in by nothing but its own pawns.

Your Move

White to move. Find the single move that delivers checkmate.

Solution: 1. Ne7#

Ne7# checks the king, and there is no escape: f7, g7, and h7 are blocked by Black's own pawns, while f8 and h8 are both covered by White's queen along the 8th rank the instant g8 is vacated. This is the idea behind the classic "smothered mate" pattern mentioned on the Knight's own page — a king trapped by nothing but its own army.

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