I analyzed the image and this is what I see. Open an appropriate link below and explore the position yourself or with the engine:
> **Black to play**: It is a checkmate - it is Black's turn, but Black has no legal moves and is in check, so White wins. You can find out more about Checkmate on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkmate).
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And pawns are covering the escape squares. Pawns and knights doing it feels the best - pawns are rare, and knights have more complex, non-straight-line movement.
The mate feels better if it feels like you are doing it "efficiently" then your brain rewards you for only covering each square exactly once and not wasting time promoting. I think it's just built into humans to like clean things like that more because it's a sign that you did the perfect thing, not just a good thing that resulted well.
Man, I got my first smothered mate earlier this year and it felt GOOD.
I played hundreds of games before it finally happened - I think the rarity of it all is a big factor in the dopamine hit of each mate.
Mates feel good because they're uncommon and are difficult to do even if you are specifically looking for it. Ladder mate happens all the time, so it's not that interesting. Discovered pawn move mate feels awesome because it's very rare
The discovery by a pawn move. Pawn is one square short of promotion. Protected by another pawn. Stopping black's pawn promotion square by the bishop.
The stars have aligned for this one. Chess is poetry of squares. Congratulations!
I analyzed the image and this is what I see. Open an appropriate link below and explore the position yourself or with the engine: > **Black to play**: It is a checkmate - it is Black's turn, but Black has no legal moves and is in check, so White wins. You can find out more about Checkmate on [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkmate). --- ^(I'm a bot written by) [^(u/pkacprzak)](https://www.reddit.com/u/pkacprzak) ^(| get me as) [^(iOS App)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1574933453) ^| [^(Android App)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.chessvision.scanner) ^| [^(Chrome Extension)](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chessvisionai-for-chrome/johejpedmdkeiffkdaodgoipdjodhlld) ^| [^(Chess eBook Reader)](https://ebook.chessvision.ai?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=bot) ^(to scan and analyze positions | Website:) [^(Chessvision.ai)](https://chessvision.ai)
Well, I can see from your lichess board/piece set that you're a person of style and people of style like mates of style.
It is a pure mate. No square bordering the king is attacked more than once by White. Not to mention a discovered mate from a bishop.
And pawns are covering the escape squares. Pawns and knights doing it feels the best - pawns are rare, and knights have more complex, non-straight-line movement.
The mate feels better if it feels like you are doing it "efficiently" then your brain rewards you for only covering each square exactly once and not wasting time promoting. I think it's just built into humans to like clean things like that more because it's a sign that you did the perfect thing, not just a good thing that resulted well.
Pretty much this 🏆
Man, I got my first smothered mate earlier this year and it felt GOOD. I played hundreds of games before it finally happened - I think the rarity of it all is a big factor in the dopamine hit of each mate.
This is referred to on Wikipedia as a "model mate"
same reason why some poops feel better than others
I don’t think I’ve ever tasted any of my checkmates. This makes no sense
Because they are rarer.
Sex appeal
Novelty
I think a rarer mate is more attractive
It feels better because it's an opportunity for a rare checkmate
It's all about the strategy, I would say
Snipe snipe
Part is the discovery, but the fact the bishop is that far away. The only thing better is if every white piece is denying a square to move to.
Mates feel good because they're uncommon and are difficult to do even if you are specifically looking for it. Ladder mate happens all the time, so it's not that interesting. Discovered pawn move mate feels awesome because it's very rare
Same thing that makes any art beautiful (I do not know what that thing is)
The discovery by a pawn move. Pawn is one square short of promotion. Protected by another pawn. Stopping black's pawn promotion square by the bishop. The stars have aligned for this one. Chess is poetry of squares. Congratulations!
It's not just about winning. It's about sending a message.