Back Rank Mate

The Back Rank Mate is very common in endgames with rooks and queens where the enemy king gets trapped by his own pawns.

The Back Rank Mate

An example of a Back Rank Mate is the position here.

Rc8 is checkmate because the king can't run down the board! His pawns are in the way!

Preventing Back Rank Mate

Black can prevent a Back Rank mate earlier by pushing one of the pawns, usually the h-pawn.

This is called a luft (German word for "breath"). 

If the rook enters the back  rank, the king has an escape square. Think of it like giving your king some air to breathe.

You can also leave your rook on the back rank to avoid getting checkmated.