ENGLISH
REFERENCE

checkmate

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈtʃɛkˌmeɪt// UK //tʃˈɛkmeɪt// check·mate

n. a position in a game of chess where the king is trapped and cannot move. It is the way you win the game.

n. a position in chess where the king is under threat of capture and has no legal move to escape. It is the standard method of winning a game.


SIMPLE

He won the game with a quick checkmate.

CONTEXTUAL

The player's opponent made a mistake that allowed him to deliver a checkmate in just three moves.

COMPLEX

While the opening was aggressive, the player's lack of experience eventually led to a checkmate that he failed to see coming from his own side.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English chekmat, from Old French eschec mat, from Arabic شَاه مَاتَ (šāh māta), from Classical Persian شاه مات (šāh māt, “the king [is] amazed”).

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