checkmate

Because Leela had, in a sense, learned to extend games as long as it wasn’t losing, it didn’t always take the most direct path to checkmate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

But the moment Washington forced an error by the Broncos’ defense, the Huskies called checkmate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025

But will either help their team to a checkmate position by full-time?

From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025

If this is supposed to be some 4-D chess move, it looks an awful lot like checkmate — for the wrong side.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2025

Galileo’s discovery of the moons of Jupiter was not like checkmate, or winning a race: he did not plan for it or see it coming.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The finale presents a remarkable range of checkmates for the hapless Black king: 24.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 21, 2023

Rxa8, and White soon to be queened pawn will help deliver checkmates in a couple of moves.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 8, 2022

She exploits every scrap of ironic humor, as Richard gloatingly checkmates all who stand in her way.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 19, 2018

Karjakin threatened no less than four checkmates, and there’s no way Carlsen could have sidestepped them all.

From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2016

In sixty seconds flat, she checkmates her opponent’s king.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

But unlike the megahits “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera,” “Chess” was checkmated shortly after it arrived in New York in a swell of London fanfare.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

"She's almost checkmated herself. She can't U-turn. And pressing on seems terminal too," a former Downing Street spinner observes.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2022

It insisted the game was a draw, even though I had thoroughly checkmated my kid.

From The Verge ● Nov. 5, 2021

Both outcomes would ensure, they calculated, a shift in the regional balance of power in their favor and that their geopolitical rival Iran would be checkmated for the foreseeable future.

From The Guardian ● Apr. 12, 2019

Papa had just checkmated Jaja when we heard the martial music on the radio, the solemn strains making us stop to listen.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

That is as humiliating as it gets — to have somebody say, “You suck, Uncle Jake,” spelled wrong while checkmating me.

From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2024

Partly that was because of the checkmating defense by his old coach, Bill Belichick, and partly it was the pelting rain and chill winds, which had once been his home-field allies.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 4, 2021

Harris was also asked about Chargers receiver Keenan Allen’s dismissive comments about Harris last week after the Broncos star cornerback was primarily responsible for checkmating the league’s top receiver in Denver’s 20-13 win.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 15, 2019

They imagined they could corral him and use him to achieve their own purposes, such as checkmating labor unions and reasserting German strength.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 19, 2018

Ivan soon heard that his powerful rival had found a way of checkmating him.

From Black Diamonds by Mór Jókai