The two-rook ladderTwo rooks mate on their own, without the king. One cuts, the other checks, all the way to the edge.

Two rooks give mate without needing the king — and it is the first mate you can always produce without memorising a position. The mechanism is called a ladder: one rook checks, the king steps up a rank, the other rook checks on the rank above, and so on to the edge. Watch.

Your turn for the last rung. The black king is already on the back rank and one rook already cuts rank 7.

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