The Smothered Mate: a checkmate puzzle

White to move. Find the one move that wins. About 1000 ELO.

Black's own pieces surround the king. A knight finishes it.

Hint

Which piece can check a king that's completely surrounded?

What is a checkmate?

A move that attacks the king with no way out: the game ends on the spot.

How to spot it

Look at every check first. Count the king's escape squares and ask which check covers all of them.

Tip

Knights jump over pieces, so a king hemmed in by its own army is vulnerable to a knight check.

Solve it on the board above, or take a hint. Every ChessLvl puzzle is checked by a chess engine to have exactly one best move.