Checkmate Patterns
What is a king hunt in chess?
- Mate
- Pattern
- King
King hunt is a mating concept: a sustained attack on the enemy king that results in the king being driven a far distance from its initial position, typically resulting in its checkmate. Some of the most famous games featuring king hunts are Edward Lasker–Thomas, Polugaevsky–Nezhmetdinov, and Kasparov–Topalov. Also called king chase. The teaching point is to identify which escape squares are controlled and which defender is missing.
king hunt FAQ
What is a king hunt in chess?
King hunt is a mating concept: a sustained attack on the enemy king that results in the king being driven a far distance from its initial position, typically resulting in its checkmate. Some of the most famous games featuring king hunts are Edward Lasker–Thomas, Polugaevsky–Nezhmetdinov, and Kasparov–Topalov. Also called king chase. The teaching point is to identify which escape squares are controlled and which defender is missing.
Train this pattern on your own games
Reading a definition is not the same as spotting the pattern with a clock running. Chessiro's free game review runs Stockfish 18 over every move you play, names the concept behind each mistake, and turns the positions where it cost you into training puzzles. You can also see the idea in action in the classic games collection, where the greatest players in history demonstrate it.
Related terms
Free game review
See where king hunt decides your games
Chessiro reviews your games with an AI coach that names the concept behind every mistake, then drills you on the exact positions where it happened until you stop repeating them.
