text: what is checkma8?   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 under attack and there is no way to meet that threat; it is a check from which there is no escape. the king is never actually captured—the game ends as soon as the king is checkmated. a player who is checkmated loses the game. delivering checkmate is the ultimate goal in chess (although not all games end in checkmate often a player resigns before checkmate is administered, or the game may end in a draw in several ways).