Corner Mate, as the name suggests, is a checkmate pattern against an enemy king that is trapped in a corner. The actual checkmate is often executed by a knight.
Corner Mate Example 1
Diagram above: 1.Nf7+ demonstrates the checkmate pattern known as the Corner Mate. Note how the white rook on g1, with the help of the black pawn on h7, traps the black king in the corner.
Corner Mate Example 2
The next example is from the game Myers vs Poliakoff, 1955.
Diagram above: 1… Qxf1+! The purpose of this move is to remove the defender of the f2-square, so that black can play 2… Nf2# on the next move.
Diagram above: 2… Nf2# checkmates the white king in the corner.
Corner Mate Example 3
Diagram above: 1.Qf8# is a fairly common corner checkmate that demonstrates the unique abilities of the queen.
Interesting Notes Corner Mate
For the sake of clarity: On this website Corner Mate refers to checkmating a king that is trapped in a corner. It should not be confused with some other checkmate patterns, for example Anderssen’s Mate, where the piece that delivers checkmate is placed in a corner.
As with many other checkmate patterns, ChessCoachClark from chessgames.com has a collection of actual games that feature the corner mate checkmate pattern.