The suffocating mate is similar to the Smothered mate but in this mate the king is not completely surrounded by his own pieces. Instead a bishop covers all the squares through which the king might escape. The bishop seems to choke the king and prevents him from fleeing from the knight that delivers the checkmate.
This type of mate occurs more often than one might think. It frequently appears in the opening or middlegame. In the endgame this mate is less common due to the primary attacking power shifting to heavy pieces. Nevertheless it can still be encountered in the endgame.