Explanation

A queen giving check to the adjacent king is often checkmate. The queen has to be protected, otherwise the king could capture the queen. On the edge of the board, the queen will also cover all, or all but one of the escape squares. Such a mate is sometimes also called the "Kiss of death", or "Kiss mate", as the queen supposedly steps next to the king for a kiss. If the queen is protected by a bishop, the mate is called Damiano's bishop mate.

Examples

White can deliver Damiano's bishop mate on the long diagonal with Qxg7#.

Black can use the a7-g1 diagonal to deliver Damiano's bishop mate with Qf2#.

Pattern matching

A bishop targeting a square next to the opponent's king can be a very dangerous piece, especially if the king is the only piece protecting that square. If the queen joins the attack, Damiano's bishop mate can quickly become a threat.

Damiano's rook mate is a similar pattern, with a rook protecting the queen instead of a bishop.