Check Mate

Check Mate, manufactured by Recel S. A. of Madrid, Spain in January 1975, is an intriguing electro-mechanical (EM) 4-player pinball machine with a chess theme. It is the 4-player member of a Recel family of games: the 1-player version is Recel's 1974 'Jake Mate' and the 2-player version is Recel's 1975 'Check'.

The machine's gameplay is built around two flippers, two pop bumpers, an 8-bank of drop targets, and a 6-bank of drop targets. A notable feature of Check Mate is the ball shooter trajectory, which crosses mid-playfield to reach the upper playfield, creating an interesting dynamic that demands precise timing from players. An end-of-ball bonus adds an extra layer of strategy and challenge.

Little information is available about the machine's designer or artist, but its unusual layout and chess theme make it a distinctive example of Spanish pinball manufacturing in the mid-1970s.