The One Thing
King and Queen vs King is always a forced checkmate. Restrict the defending king to the edge with your queen, then bring your king close to deliver mate.
Chess Endgame · KQK
White winsKing and Queen vs King
For sub-1000 ELO players
King and Queen vs King is always a win for the stronger side. The technique is queen restriction: use the queen to limit the defending king to fewer and fewer squares, then bring your king close to help. Checkmate comes in a corner with the queen covering escape squares and the king supporting. Stockfish 17 at depth 25 confirms this position is a forced win in 17 moves.
The Technique
Key Moves
The moves that decide the game
What Happens With Perfect Play
Use the queen to take away squares from the defending king. Bring your own king close. The queen does not checkmate alone.
Stockfish confirms the starting position is a forced win for White (+M17).
This technique works for b, c, d, e, f, and g pawns. Rook pawns (a and h files) have special drawing cases -- see the draw exceptions below.
3 Mistakes Sub-1000 Players Make
These are the patterns we see in endgames below 1000 ELO. Fix these and you will stop drawing won games.
Stalemate on the back rank
Black king is on h8, no legal moves, and White plays Qg7 or Qh7. That is stalemate. It is the most common way to throw away a KQK win. Always check that Black has at least one legal move before moving the queen.
Kg6Black has no legal moves and is not in check. Stalemate. Draw. You had a free win and gave it away.
Chasing with random checks
Beginners give check after check hoping to stumble into checkmate. But random checks push the defending king toward the center, which is safe. Every check must be part of a plan to corner the king.
Qd6Qd8+ Kf7 and the king runs to the center via e6 or f6. You need more moves than necessary and risk running into stalemate.
Forgetting to bring the king
The queen cannot checkmate alone without causing stalemate. You need the White king within two squares to cover escape squares. Without the king, you will waste 20 or 30 moves and possibly hit the 50-move draw rule.
Ke2The queen chases endlessly without the king. The position repeats. After 50 moves without progress, the game is a draw.
Key Squares to Know
These are the squares that decide the game. Get your king to these squares and the pawn promotes.
g8Mating squareThe square the Black king must be on for the Qg7# checkmate. Force it here with the king on g6.
g7Checkmate squareThe queen delivers checkmate from g7 when the White king is on g6 and Black king is on g8.
Common Questions
+How do you checkmate with a king and queen?
Push the defending king to the edge of the board with your queen, then bring your king close to deliver mate. The queen takes squares away one at a time. Your king covers the escape route. Mate happens against the edge or in a corner, never in the center. Stockfish 17 at depth 25 confirms it's a forced win in 17 moves or fewer from any legal starting position.
+Can you checkmate with only a king and queen against a lone king?
Yes. King and queen vs king is always a win. The defending king can't survive once your queen restricts it to the edge and your king arrives to support. The only way to throw the win away is stalemate, which happens when you accidentally remove every legal move from the defending king without giving check.
+How many moves does it take to checkmate with king and queen?
From the starting position in our worked example, mate comes in 9 moves. From a worst-case legal position, it's a forced mate in up to 17 moves with engine-perfect play. The 50-move rule (FIDE Article 9.3) only triggers after 50 consecutive moves with no capture or pawn move, so even sloppy technique has plenty of margin.
+How do you avoid stalemate in king and queen vs king?
Before every queen move, count the defending king's legal squares. If the answer is zero and your move doesn't give check, that move is stalemate and the game is a draw. The classic trap: defending king on h8, your queen lands on g7 or h7 with your king not yet covering escape squares. Pause and count squares whenever the defending king is in a corner.
+What's the easiest mating pattern with king and queen?
Queen on g7 (or g2, b7, b2 depending on the corner), your king on g6 (or g3, b6, b3) supporting, defending king trapped on h8, h1, a8, or a1. Queen covers the back rank, your king covers the row below, defending king has no legal move. This is the pattern to memorize. Every other approach is just maneuvering toward this final picture.
+Why can't a queen checkmate alone?
A queen alone can't deliver mate to a lone king because every square next to the queen is also covered by the queen. The defending king can step toward the queen and take it for free. You need your own king within two squares of the action to cover the squares the queen can't reach. Bring the king in early.
Engine-verified by Stockfish 17 at depth 25. Theoretical result: White wins. Published by Jon Stenstrom, Chess.com 759 Daily, Founder, 1000elo.com.
Know the endgame? Now find out what your games say about you.
Enter your Chess.com username and get a free analysis of your last 10 games, including which endgame patterns are costing you points.
Analyze My Games Free →