By looking at the following position, an experienced player can easily recognise the well-known smothered mate.
After
1.Qe6+
1...Kh8 (if 1...Kf8, 2.Qf7#)
2.Nf7+ Kg8
3.Nh6+ Kh8
4.Qg8+! Rxg8
5.Nf7#
is checkmate. Actually, the majority of chess players, including even strong players, would play the above variation. However, this variation proves to be inferior to the more precise
1.Qe6+ Kh8, 2.Nf7+ Kg8, 3.Nd8+!
blocking the eighth rank.
3...Kh8 (or 3...Kf8, 4.Qf7#)
4.Qe8#
Although White's benefit from this alternative variation in this position is merely to deliver checkmate one move earlier, the blocking idea of Nd8+ under certain circumstances may prove to be the only way to win the game, while the classical variation that makes use of the smothered mate may prove to be disastrous. As a matter of fact, in the following diagram, which differs from the original one in that the black Queen and Rook have exchanged position
the typical variation
1.Qe6+ Kh8, 2.Nf7+ Kg8, 3.Nh6+ Kh8, 4.Qg8+
does not work anymore, as this time after
4...Qxg8
the black Queen "watches" the f7-square, from which the white Knight delivered previously checkmate. So, in
5.Nf7+
follows
5...Qxf7.
That said, the only winning continuation in this case is
1.Qe6+ Kh8, 2.Nf7+ Kg8, 3.Nd8+! Kh8, 4.Qe8#
From an aesthetics point of view, the beauty and elegance of the smothered mate are indisputable. However, from the above paradigm, we are taught that "nice" is not always "good".
