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A simple pier on Lake Mapourika in New Zealand

Southend Pier in England is the longest pleasure pier in the world, at 1.34 miles (2158 m)

A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars. The lighter structure of a pier allows tides and currents to flow almost unhindered, whereas the more solid foundations of a quay or the closely spaced piles of a wharf can act as a breakwater, and are consequently more liable to silting. Piers can range in size and complexity from a simple lightweight wooden structure to major structures extended over 1600 metres out to sea. In American English, pier may be synonymous with dock.

Piers have been built for several purposes, and because these different purposes have distinct regional variances, the term pier tends to have different nuances of meaning in different parts of the world. Thus in North America and Australia, where many ports were, until recently, built on the multiple pier model, the term tends to imply a current or former cargo-handling facility. In Europe in contrast, where ports more often use basins and river-side quays than piers, the term is principally associated with the image of a Victorian cast iron pleasure pier. However, the earliest piers pre-date the Victorian age.

Types of pier[link]

Piers can be categorized into different groupings according to the principal purpose^[1]. However there is considerable overlap between these categories. For example, pleasure piers often also allow for the docking of pleasure steamers and other similar craft, whilst working piers have often been converted to leisure use after being rendered obsolete by advanced developments in cargo-handling technology.

Working piers[link]

Pier in Maraetai Beach in New Zealand used to convey cattle.

Working piers were built for the handling of passengers and cargo onto and off ships or (as at Wigan Pier) canal boats. Working piers themselves fall into two different groups. Longer individual piers are often found at ports with large tidal ranges, with the pier stretching far enough off shore to reach deep water at low tide. Such piers provided an economical alternative to impounded docks where cargo volumes were low, or where specialist bulk cargo was handled, such as at coal piers. The other form of working pier, often called the finger pier, was built at ports with smaller tidal ranges. Here the principal advantage was to give a greater available quay length for ships to berth against compared to a linear littoral quayside, and such piers are usually much shorter. Typically each pier would carry a single transit shed the length of the pier, with ships berthing bow or stern in to the shore. Some major ports consisted of large numbers of such piers lining the foreshore, classic examples being the Hudson River frontage of New York, or the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

The advent of container shipping, with its need for large container handling spaces adjacent to the shipping berths, has made working piers obsolete for the handling of general cargo, although some still survive for the handling of passenger ships or bulk cargos. One example, is in use in Progreso, Yucatán, where a pier extends more than 4 miles into the Gulf of Mexico, making it the longest pier in the world. The Progreso Pier supplies much of the peninsula with transportation for the fishing and cargo industries and serves as a port for large cruise ships in the area. Many other working piers have been demolished, or remain derelict, but some have been recycled as pleasure piers. The best known example of this is Pier 39 in San Francisco.

At Southport and the Tweed River on the Gold Coast in Australia, there are piers that support equipment for a sand bypassing system that maintains the health of sandy beaches and navigation channels.

Pleasure piers[link]

Print of Victorian pier in Margate, 1897

Pleasure piers were first built in England, during the 19th century. The earliest structures were Ryde Pier, built in 1813/4, Leith Trinity Chain Pier, built in 1821, and Brighton Chain Pier, built in 1823. Only the oldest of these piers still remains. At that time the introduction of the railways for the first time permitted mass tourism to dedicated seaside resorts. However, the large tidal ranges at many such resorts meant that for much of the day, the sea was not visible from dry land. The pleasure pier was the resorts' answer, permitting holiday makers to promenade over and alongside the sea at all times. The longest Pleasure pier in the world is at Southend-on-sea, Essex, and extends 2,158 metres (1.34 mi) into the Thames estuary. With a length of 2,745 feet (836.68 m), the longest pier on the West Coast of the United States is the Santa Cruz Wharf^[2].

Pleasure piers often include other amusements and theatres as part of the attraction. Such a pier may be open air, closed, or partly open, partly closed. Sometimes a pier has two decks.

Early pleasure piers were of wooden construction, with iron structures being introduced with the construction in 1855 of Margate Jetty, in Margate, England. Margate was wrecked in storms in 1978 and was never repaired. The oldest iron pleasure pier still remaining is in Southport, England, and dates from 1860 - however the world's oldest iron pier^[3] dates from 1834 and is in Gravesend, Kent. Gravesham council have recently purchased and refurbished this passenger pier.

Fishing piers[link]

Many piers are built for the purpose of providing boatless anglers access to fishing grounds that are otherwise inaccessible.

Piers of the world[link]

This section requires expansion.

See the List of piers article for details of piers in countries across the world.

England and Wales[link]

The first recorded pier in England was Ryde Pier, opened in 1814 on the Isle of Wight, as a landing stage to allow ferries to and from the mainland to berth. It is still used for this purpose today. However it has had a leisure function in the past, with the pier head once containing a pavilion. There are still refreshment facilities today. The oldest cast iron pier in the world is Gravesend Town Pier, in Kent, which opened in 1834. However, it is not recognised by the National Piers Society as being a seaside pier.^[4]

In their heyday, there were many pleasure piers across England and Wales. These were found in most fashionable seaside resorts during the Victorian era. There are still a significant number of piers of architectural merit still standing, although some have been lost. The most well known piers are perhaps the two at Brighton in East Sussex and the three at Blackpool in Lancashire. Two piers, Brighton's now derelict West Pier and Clevedon Pier, were Grade 1 listed:Brighton West lost its status after a series of fires and storms. The Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare is the only pier in the world that is linked to an island. The National Piers Society gives a figure of 55 surviving seaside piers in England and Wales.^[1]

Netherlands[link]

Scheveningen, the coastal resort town of The Hague, boasts the largest pier in the Netherlands, it was completed in 1961. A crane, built on top of the pier's panorama tower, provides the opportunity to make a 60 metres (200 ft). high bungee jump over the North Sea waves. The present pier is a successor of an earlier pier, which was completed in 1901 but in 1943 destroyed by the German occupation forces.

Belgium[link]

In Blankenberge a first pleasure pier was built in 1894. After its destruction in the World War I, a new pier was built in 1933. It remained till the present day, but was partially transformed and modernized in 1999–2004.

In Nieuwpoort, Belgium there is a pleasure pier on both sides of the river IJzer.

• 

  Victorian pier at Clevedon, Somerset, England

• 

  The pier of Blankenberge, Belgium

• 

  A typical Finnish pier with a table, chair and ladders for swimmers in Joutsa, Central Finland

See also[link]

• Boardwalk
• Breakwater
• Dock
• Jetty
• List of piers
• Seaside resort
• Wharf

References[link]

• Turner, K., (1999), Pier Railways and Tramways of the British Isles, The Oakwood Press, No. LP60, ISBN 0-85361-541-1.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Piers

Look up pier in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• National Piers Society
• Details on UK Piers including Webcams

Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins, 2009
Background information
Birth name	William Earl Collins
Born	(1951-10-26) October 26, 1951 (age 60)
Genres	Funk, psychedelic soul, rhythm and blues
Occupations	Musician, record producer
Instruments	Electric bass, guitar, drums, vocals
Years active	1970–present
Labels	Westbound, Ace, Warner Bros., Casablanca, Shout, Columbia, P-Vine
Associated acts	Parliament-Funkadelic, Bootsy's Rubber Band, James Brown, Axiom Funk, Praxis, Material, Fatboy Slim, Snoop Dogg, Deee-Lite, Buckethead
Website	www.bootsycollins.com

William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.

Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk.^[1] Collins is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Biography[link]

1960s-1970s[link]

With his elder brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins, and Kash Waddy and Philippé Wynne, Collins formed a funk band called The Pacemakers in 1968.

In March 1970, after most of the members of James Brown's band quit over a pay dispute, The Pacemakers were hired as Brown's backing band and they became known as The J.B.'s. (They are often referred to as the "original" J.B.'s to distinguish them from later line-ups that went by the same name.) Although they worked for Brown for only 11 months, the original J.B.'s played on some of Brown's most intense funk recordings, including "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine", "Super Bad", "Soul Power", and "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing".

After parting ways with James Brown, Bootsy returned to Cincinnati and formed House Guests with his brother Phelps Collins, Rufus Allen, Clayton "Chicken" Gunnels, Frank Waddy, Ronnie Greenaway and Robert McCullough. The House Guests released two singles on the House Guests label as well as a third as The Sound of Vision on the House Guests label.

Collins next moved to Detroit, following the advice of singer and future Parliament member Mallia Franklin. Franklin introduced both Collins brothers to George Clinton, and 1972 saw both of the Collins brothers, along with Waddy, join Funkadelic. Bootsy played bass on most of Funkadelic and Parliament's albums through 1980, garnering several songwriting credits as well.

In 1976 Bootsy, Catfish, Waddy, Joel Johnson, Gary "Mudbone" Cooper, Robert Johnson and The Horny Horns formed Bootsy's Rubber Band, a separate touring unit of Clinton's P-Funk collective. The group recorded four albums together, the first three of which are often considered to be among the quintessential P-Funk recordings. The group's 1978 album Bootsy? Player of the Year reached the top of the R&B album chart and spawned the #1 R&B single "Bootzilla".

Like Clinton, Bootsy took on several alter egos, from Casper the Funky Ghost to Bootzilla, "the world's only rhinestone rockstar monster of a doll", as parts of the evolving character of an alien rock star who grew gradually more bizarre as time went on (see P-Funk mythology). He also adopted his trademark "space bass" around this time.

Bootsy also released a 1980 album, Sweat Band, on George Clinton's Uncle Jam label with a group billed as Bootsy's Sweat Band.

1980s-1990s[link]

In 1984, Bootsy collaborated with Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads to produce "Five Minutes", a dance record sampled and edited from Ronald Reagan's infamous "Five Minutes" speech. The record was credited to "Bonzo goes to Washington" (also referenced in the 1985 Ramones song "Bonzo goes to Bitburg", derived from Reagan's starring role as Professor Peter Boyd in the 1951 comedy film Bedtime for Bonzo).

In 1990, Bootsy collaborated with Deee-Lite on their massive hit "Groove Is in the Heart" where he contributed additional vocals. Although he also appeared in the music video playing the bass, the bassline in the song is actually a sample of a Herbie Hancock song called "Bring Down the Birds". Bootsy's Rubber Band became the defacto backing musicians for Deee-Lite during a world tour.

In 1992, Bootsy joined with guitarist Stevie Salas and drummer Buddy Miles to form the funk-metal fusion group Hardware. The trio released one album, Third Eye Open, before disbanding.

Bootsy collaborated with bluegrass legends Del McCoury, Doc Watson and Mac Wiseman to form the GrooveGrass Boyz. They produced a fusion of bluegrass and funk.

In 1994, Bootsy contributed extensively to the Soup Dragons' last album, Hydroponic.^[2]

In 1995, Bootsy played in the remake of Jimi Hendrix's "If 6 Was 9," for Axiom Funk, a Funkadelic-like one-off supergroup produced by Bill Laswell and featuring (Funkadelic members) George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins, (the guitar of the late) Eddie Hazel, Gary Shider and Bill Laswell. The group released only one album, and the song also appeared in the soundtrack of the movie Stealing Beauty.

Bootsy has collaborated extensively with Bill Laswell and made appearances on two Fatboy Slim records, as well as reading a poem at the end of FatBoy Slims's release in the LateNightTales DJ mix series. Bootsy provided "vocal spice" on the TobyMac album Welcome to Diverse City. He also appears on Nicole C. Mullens' latest album, Everyday People. He has also worked with the Lo-Fidelity Allstars on the album Don't be Afraid of Love, with Praxis, and with Buckethead on several occasions, for example on Buckethead's first album, Bucketheadland. Bootsy was featured in the 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown. In 2004 he appeared on Snoop Dogg's Rhythm & Gangsta album and on the cover of "The Joker" on the Fatboy Slim album Palookaville.^[3] He also performed a cover of "Power of Soul" on Power of Soul: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix'.

2000s[link]

In 2005, Bootsy Collins added vocals to fellow bassist Victor Wooten's album Soul Circus. He also served as "Heineken's Amsterjam 2005" curator and master of ceremonies on Randall's Island, New York, and appeared with Madonna, Iggy Pop, Little Richard, and The Roots' Questlove, in an American TV commercial for the Motorola ROKR phone.

In October 2005, Collins co-wrote a song celebrating the resurgence of his hometown team, the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League called "Fear Da Tiger" which features "raps" written and performed by several Bengals players, including defensive end Duane Clemons, offensive tackle Stacy Andrews, and center Ben Wilkerson. An edited version of the song was made into a music video which features cameos by many other Bengals players. It has garnered tremendous local airplay and is viewable on Bengals.com Additionally, Cincinnati Bell is offering "Fear Da Tiger" as a free ringtone for its wireless customers in both polyphonic and MP3 formats. Collins appeared with Little Richard, Bernie Worrell, and other notable musicians as the band playing with Hank Williams, Jr. for the Monday Night Football opening during for the 2006 season. Collins was the only all star to return with Williams for the 2007 season.

He also sings "Marshal Law", the theme song of the Cincinnati Marshals indoor football team. He debuted the song on April 29,^{[year missing]} at halftime of a Marshals home game against the West Palm Beach Phantoms.

In 2006, ABC Entertainment / A Charly Films Release released a DVD/CD from Bootsy Collins and the New Rubber Band's concert at the 1998 North Sea Jazz Festival. In the same year, Collins split from long-time friend and guitarist Odhran "The Bodhran" Rameriz, citing creative differences as the reason.

Also in 2006, Collins recorded music for the animated television series Loonatics Unleashed. Collins also voiced the character Bootes Belinda in the episode The Music Villain.^[4]

In April 2007, Bootsy announced plans to begin a restaurant/club with Cincinnati area restaurateur Jeff Ruby called "Bootsy's." The venue operated 2008-2010 before closing. It featured live musical acts, a museum dedicated to Bootsy's musical career and Spanish, Central and South American cuisine.

In June 2007, Bootsy Collins, along with Phelps Collins, Clyde Stubblefield, John "Jabo" Starks, and Bernie Worrell, participated in the recording of the soundtrack for the movie Superbad.

In July 2007, Bootsy also told Billboard magazine that he was working on a project by the name of Science Faxtion and an album called Living On Another Frequency in which he serves as bassist and co-producer along with his lead vocalist Greg Hampton. The band also features guitarist Buckethead and drummer Brain.^[5] The album was released in November 2008.^[6]

Bootsy Collins and Fatboy Slim, 2008

Collins promoted Rock the Vote for its 2008 campaign together with Buckethead.^[7]

Bootsy produced Junkyard Waltz by funk band Freekbass from Ohio, which was released in October 2008.

Bootsy has been mentioned in the song "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club in the line "Clinton's musicians such as Bootsy Collins raise expectation to a new intention", while "Got more bass than Bootsy Collins" is a line in the song "Rumble in the Jungle" by the Fugees. His influence in popular culture is seen in that he has been referenced by a number of television series. In The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air episode "Sooooooul Train", Geoffrey sneaks into the Soul Train tapings posing as Bootsy Collins, while in The Mighty Boosh episode "The Legend of Old Gregg" an alien creature named 'The Funk' lands on Bootsy's house, giving him his ability to play the bass guitar "like some kinda delirious funky priest", as well as the ability to see around corners. His song "I'd Rather Be With You" was featured in the movie Baby Boy and on January 26, 2007, Bootsy, a native of Cincinnati, gave the commencement address at the graduation ceremony at The Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati. Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who cited Collins as one of his primary influences, appeared in unmistakably Bootsy-esque clothing in the video for RHCP's "Dani California", and Bootsy's "What's a Telephone Bill?" was sampled for 2Pac's "Str8 Ballin'" track off the THUG LIFE album.

In 2009 Collins collaborated with Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek on the track "Internet Connection".^[8]

In October 2010 Bootsy was awarded a Bass Player Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award at the Key Club in Los Angeles.

In March 2011 Bootsy and his wife visited Franklin L. Williams M.S #7's Little Kids Rock program.

On 15 April 2011, Bootsy appeared on Later... with Jools Holland, performing a memorable snippet of funk with Jools.

In June 2011 Bootsy played the 10th Annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, TN.

In the Fall of 2011, Bootsy began being featured in a TV commercial for Old Navy, in which he is making "boots", made by boots, made by Bootsy" to be sold at Old Navy.

Bass guitars[link]

Bootsy's original "Space Bass" and its replacement (before recovery from theft) was made in Warren, Michigan by Larry Pless of Gus Zoppi's music store. The first Space Bass had a mahogany body and maple neck, white finish, and mirror pick guard. (This is the Space Bass on the cover of 1976 album " Stretchin' Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band ")^[9]

Collins' current signature instrument is a custom-built star-shaped bass guitar he calls the "Space Bass", built for him by Manuel "Manny" Salvador of GuitarCraft in 1998. In 2006 Collins made an agreement with Traben to make a signature Bootsy Collins model bass called the "Bootzilla". During the 2010 NAMM Show, Collins' new signature bass guitar was released by Warwick, a customized Infinity Bass called "Bootsy Collins Black Star Signature Bass" or "Bootsy Collins Orange Star Signature Bass", depending on the color of the stars on it.

Bootsy Collins' Funk University[link]

In July 2010, Collins, in partnership with former child actor Cory Danziger,^[10] launched Funk University ("Funk U"), an online-only bass guitar school in which he also serves as curator and lead professor. Funk University offers an intense curriculum tailored for intermediate to advanced bass players as well as anyone interested in a deeper understanding of funk. The curriculum is based on bass theory, history of funk, and Collins' own musical history given by Collins himself, augmented by lessons and exercises in bass and rhythm from guest bassist professors such as Les Claypool, Meshelle Ndegeocello, John B (Williams) and Victor Wooten. Enrolled students gain access to the virtual campus which, in addition to the multimedia lectures, includes a comprehensive subject library containing audio and multimedia music files, tablatures, and articles. Students participate in interactive questionnaires, polls, competitions (including track submissions), and are subjected to regular reviews by faculty members, who have designated "office hours" during which students can ask questions. Students and faculty can post or reply in the university's online forum (the Cafeteria).^[11] Eventually, the curriculum will be expanded to include other instruments.^[12]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

Promotional videos[link]

• Party on Plastic (What's Bootsy Doin'?) (1988)
• Undacova Funk (feat. Snoop Dogg) (2002)
• Play With Bootsy (2002)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Bootsy's Funk University
• Bootsy bio on Allmusic
• Collins Looks To Future with Science Faction, Billboard, 2007.
• Rob Fitzpatrick, Bootsy Collins: 'The freak show never ended', The Guardian, April 14, 2011.
• Bootsy Collins RBMA lecture

v t e Parliament-Funkadelic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Jerome "Bigfoot" Brailey • George Clinton • Bootsy Collins • Ray Davis • Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood • Glen Goins • Michael Hampton • Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins • Eddie Hazel • Walter "Junie" Morrison • Cordell "Boogie" Mosson • "Billy Bass" Nelson • Garry Shider • Calvin Simon • Grady Thomas • Bernie Worrell Related articles Parliament • Funkadelic  • House Guests • Godmoma • Kiddo • Original P • The Pacemakers • The Parliaments • Zapp  • List of P-Funk members • Pedro Bell • Armen Boladian • Children of Production • Bill Laswell • Overton Loyd • P-Funk • P-Funk Earth Tour • P-Funk Mothership • P-Funk mythology • P-Funk projects • Uncle Jam Records • Red Hot Chili Peppers Parliament discography Osmium • Up for the Down Stroke • Chocolate City • Mothership Connection • The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein • Live: P-Funk Earth Tour • Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome • Motor Booty Affair • Gloryhallastoopid • Trombipulation Funkadelic discography Funkadelic • Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow • Maggot Brain • America Eats Its Young • Cosmic Slop • Standing on the Verge of Getting It On • Let's Take It to the Stage • Tales of Kidd Funkadelic • Hardcore Jollies • One Nation Under a Groove • Uncle Jam Wants You • Connections & Disconnections • The Electric Spanking of War Babies • Live: Meadowbrook, Rochester, Michigan – 12th September 1971 • By Way of the Drum • Toys • U.S. Music With Funkadelic George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic Computer Games • Urban Dancefloor Guerillas • You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish • Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends • R&B Skeletons in the Closet • The Mothership Connection - Live from Houston • The Cinderella Theory • Live at the Beverly Theater • Hey, Man, Smell My Finger • Dope Dogs • Mothership Connection Newberg Session • T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. • Live 1976–1993 • How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent? • George Clinton and His Gangsters of Love Bootsy Collins Stretchin' Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band • Ahh... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! • Bootsy? Player of the Year • This Boot is Made for Fonk-N • Ultra Wave • The One Giveth, the Count Taketh Away • What's Bootsy Doin'? • Jungle Bass • Blasters of the Universe • Lord of the Harvest • Keepin' Dah Funk Alive 4-1995 • Fresh Outta 'P' University • Live in Louisville 1978 • Play With Bootsy • Live In Concert 1998 • Live in Oklahoma 1976 • Christmas Is 4 Ever • Tha Funk Capital of the World Eddie Hazel Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs • Rest in P The Horny Horns A Blow for Me, a Toot for You • Say Blow by Blow Backwards • The Final Blow Bernie Worrell All the Woo in the World • Funk of Ages • Pieces Of Woo: The Other Side  • Blacktronic Science • Free Agent: A Spaced Odyssey The Brides of Funkenstein Funk or Walk • Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy • Live at the Howard Theatre Parlet Pleasure Principle • Invasion of the Booty Snatchers • Play Me or Trade Me Clarence "Fuzzy" Haskins A Whole Nother Thang (1976)  • Radio Active (1978)  • A Whole Nother Radio Active Thang (1994) Ruth Copeland Self Portrait (1970)  • I Am What I Am (1971)  • Take Me To Baltimore (1976) Mutiny Mutiny on the Mamaship (1979)  • Funk Plus the One (1980)  • A Night Out With the Boys (1983)  • Aftershock 2005 (1996) Other spinoffs Quazar (1978)  • Sweat Band (1980) • Federation of Tackheads (1985)  • Lifestyles of the Roach and Famous (1988) Out of the Dark (1993) • Heavy Metal Funkason (1998) Filmography The Night Before • PCU • Parliament-Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove • George Clinton: The Mothership Connection Category

The black king has been checkmated; the game is over.

Checkmate (frequently shortened to mate) is a situation in chess (and in other boardgames of the chaturanga family) in which one player's king is threatened with capture (in check) and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured. Delivering checkmate is the ultimate goal in chess: a player who is checkmated loses the game. In normal chess the king is never actually captured – the game ends as soon as the king is checkmated because checkmate leaves the defensive player with no legal moves.^{[note 1]} In practice, most players resign an inevitably lost game before being checkmated. It is considered bad etiquette to continue playing in a completely hopeless position (Burgess 2000:481).^{[note 2]}

If a king is under attack but the threat can be met, then the king is said to be in check, but is not in checkmate. If a player is not in check but has no legal move (that is, every possible move would put the king in check), the result of the game is stalemate, and the game ends in a draw. (See rules of chess.)

A checkmating move is denoted in algebraic chess notation with the hash symbol (#) – for example, 34.Qh8# or by "++". (The symbol "++" is sometimes used to indicate double check.)

This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Examples[link]

Fool's mate

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

White has been checkmated

D. Byrne vs. Fischer

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

After 41... Rc2, checkmate

Checkmate with a rook

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Black has been checkmated

A checkmate may occur in as few as two moves with all of the pieces still on the board (as in Fool's mate, in the opening phase of the game), in a middlegame position (as in the 1956 game called the Game of the Century between Donald Byrne and Bobby Fischer),^[1] or after many moves with as few as three pieces in an endgame position.

History[link]

In early Sanskrit chess (ca. 500-700) the king could be captured and this ended the game. The Persians (ca. 700-800) introduced the idea of warning that the king was under attack (announcing check in modern terminology). This was done to avoid the early and accidental end of a game. Later the Persians added the additional rule that a king could not be moved into check or left in check. As a result, the king could not be captured (Davidson 1949:22). Checkmate was thus the logical and only decisive way of ending a game (since if it was checkmate, any move would be illegal) (Davidson 1949:63–64).

Before about 1600 the game could also be won by capturing all of the opponent's pieces other than the king (annihilation or robado) (see bare king). In Medieval times players began to consider it nobler to win by checkmate, so annihilation became a half-win for a while, until it was abandoned (Davidson 1949:63–64).

Etymology[link]

The term checkmate is an alteration or Hobson-Jobson of the Persian phrase "Shāh Māt" which means, literally, "the King is helpless" (or "ambushed", "defeated", or "stumped", but not "dead").^[2][3] It is a common misconception that it means "the King is dead", as chess reached Europe via the Islamic world, and Arabic māta مَاتَ means "died" or "is dead" (Hooper & Whyld 1992), (Davidson 1949:70), (Sunnucks 1970), (McKean 2005), (Golombek 1976:27).^[4]

Moghadam traced the etymology of the word mate. It comes from a Persian verb mandan, meaning "to remain", which is cognate with the Latin word manco. It means "remained" in the sense of "abandoned" and the formal translation is "surprised", in the military sense of "ambushed" (not in the sense of "astonished"). So the king is in mate when he is ambushed, at a loss, or abandoned to his fate (Davidson 1949:70–71).

The term "checkmate" also has origins in the term "check", which means temporarily stop, and which also is in the chessplaying context related to the term "chess", which derives from the French word "echecs", which is derived from the alternating black and white pattern of an eschequier, or counting table, a pattern which was duplicated in larger form in some countries on the floor of the exchequer, a central bank, and whence such related terms as "checkers" and "checkered" were brought about.

The term checkmate in modern parlance is a dead metaphor for an irrefutable and strategic victory.^[5]

Two major pieces[link]

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

White checkmates easily

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Checkmate with queen and rook

Two major pieces (queens or rooks) can easily force checkmate on the edge of the board, even without the help of their king. The process is to put the two pieces on adjacent ranks or files and gradually force the king to the side of the board, where one piece keeps the king on the edge of the board while the other delivers checkmate (Pandolfini 1988:18–20).

In the first diagram, White checkmates easily by forcing the black king to the edge a rank at a time or a file at a time:

1. Qg5+ Kd4

2. Rf4+ Ke3

3. Qg3+ Ke2

4. Rf2+ Ke1

5. Qg1# (second diagram) (Silman 2007:7–8).

The checkmate with two queens or with two rooks is similar (Pandolfini 1988:20).

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Mid-board checkmate with king and two rooks

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Mid-board checkmate with two queens

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Another mid-board checkmate with two queens

Checkmate can be forced even away from the edge of the board with two rooks and a king, or with a queen, rook, and king, while two queens are able to force checkmate in the center without the help of the king (Pandolfini 2009:32–33).

Basic checkmates[link]

Here are the common fundamental checkmates when one side has only his king and the other side has only the minimum material needed to force checkmate, i.e. (1) one queen, (2) one rook, (3) two bishops on opposite-colored squares, or (4) a bishop and a knight. The king must help in accomplishing all of these checkmates. If the superior side has more material, checkmates are easier (Silman 2007:33).

The checkmate with the queen is the most important, but it is also very easy to achieve. It often occurs after a pawn has queened. The next most important one is the checkmate with the rook, and it is also very easy to achieve. The checkmates with the two bishops and with a bishop and knight are not nearly as important, since they only occur infrequently. The two bishop checkmate is fairly easy to accomplish, but the bishop and knight checkmate is difficult and requires precision.

King and queen[link]

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Checkmate with the queen

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

A second checkmate with the queen

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

A third type of checkmate

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

A fourth type of checkmate

The first two diagrams show representatives of the basic checkmate positions with a queen, which can occur on any edge of the board. Naturally, the exact position can vary from the diagram. In the first of the checkmate positions, the queen is directly in front of the opposing king and the white king is protecting its queen. In the second checkmate position, the kings are in opposition and the queen mates on the rank (or file) of the king. See Wikibooks - Chess/The Endgame for a demonstration of how the king and queen versus king mate is achieved.

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

White checkmates easily

With the side with the queen to move, checkmate can be forced in at most ten moves from any starting position, with optimal play by both sides, but usually fewer moves are required (Fine & Benko 2003:1–2). (Müller & Lamprecht 2001:16). In positions in which a pawn has just promoted to a queen, at most nine moves are required (Levy & Newborn 1991:144). In this position, White checkmates by confining the black king to a rectangle and shrinking the rectangle to force the king to the edge of the board:

1. Qf6 Kd5

2. Qe7 Kd4

3. Kc2 Kd5

4. Kc3 Kc6

5. Kc4 Kb6

6. Qd7 Ka6

7. Qb5+ Ka7

8. Kc5 Ka8

9. Kc6 Ka7

10. Qb7# (Seirawan 2003:4–5).

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Stalemate if Black is to move. The white king can be anywhere (except a7, b7, or b8, which would be an illegal position).

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Stalemate if Black is to move

The superior side must be careful to not stalemate the opposing king, whereas the defender would like to get into such a position. There are two general types of stalemate positions that can occur, which the winning side must avoid (Fine & Benko 2003:2).

King and rook[link]

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Checkmate with the rook

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

A second checkmate with the rook

The first diagram shows the basic checkmate position with a rook, which can occur on any edge of the board. The black king can be on any square on the edge of the board, the white king is in opposition to it, and the rook can check from any square on the rank or file (assuming that it can not be captured). The second diagram shows a slightly different position where the kings are not in opposition but the defending king must be in a corner.

With the side with the rook to move, checkmate can be forced in at most sixteen moves from any starting position (Fine & Benko 2003:2). Again, see Wikibooks - Chess/The Endgame for a demonstration of how the king and rook versus king mate is achieved.

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

White checkmates by boxing in the black king.

In this position, White checkmates by confining the black king to a rectangle and shrinking the rectangle to force the king to the edge of the board:

1. Kd3+ Kd5

2. Re4 Kd6

3. Kc4! Kc6

4. Re6+ Kc7

5. Kc5 Kd7

6. Kd5 Kc7

7. Rd6 Kb7

8. Rc6 Ka7

9. Kc5 Kb7

10. Kb5 Ka7

11. Rb6 Ka8

12. Kc6 Ka7

13. Kc7 Ka8

14. Ra6# (second checkmate position) (Seirawan 2003:1–4)

There are two stalemate positions to watch out for: (Fine & Benko 2003:2–3):

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Stalemate if Black is to move

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8									8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Stalemate if Black is to move