Endgame guide
How to Checkmate with King and Queen
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King and queen against a lone king is a useful first mating technique because the winning pieces have clear, separate jobs. The queen restricts; the king approaches; only then does the queen give the final check. The chief practical hazard is stalemate, not resistance from the lone king.
Stage 1: Shrink the box
Use the queen to take ranks and files away from the defending king. Keeping the queen a knight’s move from the king is a helpful visual guide in many positions: when the king moves, the queen can often follow the same direction and reduce the available rectangle. It is a guide, not a command — check that the queen is safe and that the new square really leaves the king somewhere legal to move.
Stage 2: Leave a square and bring your king
Once the defending king is held on an edge rank or file, stop tightening the box. Leave it at least one legal square while your king walks closer. Your king must control the flight squares beside the defender and protect the queen in the mating position.
Stage 3: Deliver mate
With the defending king on the edge and your king close enough to cover its neighbouring squares, give a protected queen check that leaves no flight square, capture or interposition.
The stalemate check
Before every quiet queen or king move, name one legal reply for the defender. If there is none and the king is not in check, the game ends in a draw. Checks are not inherently wrong during the technique, but a stream of checks is usually less efficient than restricting first and bringing the king.
Practice queen mates vs Stockfish