One on the board looking for a mate? (8)
I believe the answer is:
chessman
'a mate?' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both man-made objects as well as being singular nouns.
Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'one on the board looking' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'one' could be 'an' (an apple is one apple) and 'an' is located in the answer.
'board' could be 'chess' (chess board is a kind of board) and 'chess' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'm' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'for' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for chessman that I've seen before include "Eg, bishop, knight" , "queen, perhaps" , "Playing piece" , "that's played on board" , "Eg, bishop or rook" .)