Endgame · Rook
The Two-Rook Ladder Mate
The easiest mate in chess: two rooks “walk” the enemy king to the edge like rungs on a ladder — and you don’t even need your own king.
Step through the moves
Starting position. Press Next to begin.
Model line: 1.Ra5+ Ke6 2.Rh6+ Kf7 3.Ra7+ Kg8 4.Rg6+ Kh8 5.Re6 Kg8 6.Re8#
The idea
With two rooks you do not need your king at all. One rook cuts off a rank so the enemy king cannot step forward; the other checks to drive it back one rank. Then you repeat, climbing the board rung by rung — the “ladder” or “lawnmower” — until the king is mated on the edge. The only care: if the king ever marches toward a rook, swing that rook far away along its rank to safety and keep laddering.
Step by step
- 1.Ra5+ drives the king off the fifth rank; 1…Ke6 2.Rh6+ pushes it off the sixth.
- Now the king approaches the h6-rook, so the other rook takes over: 2…Kf7 3.Ra7+ Kg8 4.Rg6+ Kh8, laddering the king to the edge.
- 5.Re6 is a quiet switch of the checking rook, and after 5…Kg8 6.Re8# the king is mated — the rook on a7 seals the 7th rank so there is no escape.
The key rule
One rook holds the line the king cannot cross; the other checks to push it back a rank. When the king marches toward a rook, slide that rook to the far end of its rank and keep laddering. Two rooks mate a lone king with no help from your own king at all.