Black has so many threats it's hard to imagine White can defend them all:

• First, White's queen is threatened by the rook, which is in turn protected by it's own queen.

• But if the white queen moves off the g-file, black mates with ...Qxg2#.

• Meanwhile White's queen also has to keep an eye on d1, as his back rank is weak and Black threatens ...Qd1#.

• The only square the poor white queen can go to to cover both g2 and d1 is f3, but after 1.Qf3 white discovers that the g-pawn is pinned, and he has no answer to 1...Qxf3

• White can exchange queens with 1.Nxd5 Rxg4 but now he's in an endgame down a pair of rooks and pawns.

Thank goodness White doesn't have to play only defence here, since White's offense takes advantage of the congestion around Black's king.

1.Qf1+ Rxf1

Forced, as the knight prevented the black king from capturing her highness.  Now the black king is completely smothered by his own pieces, with nowhere to go should he be attacked.  Which he is about to be...

2.Nd7 mate

Smothered mate.  White is behind a queen, two rooks, and two pawns, and is doesn't matter.  He's ahead one king!

[archive]

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