top of page
Restless Knights
Opera Mate
The Opera Mate works by mating the king on the back rank with a rook using a bishop to protect it. A pawn or other piece (just not a knight) of the enemy king's blocks an escape route. The name of this checkmate comes from this famous game played by Paul Morphy in 1858 at the Paris Opera against Duke Karl of Brunswick and Count Isouard. Played during a performance of the Barber of Seville.
bottom of page