Bishop and knight mate
In short
The bishop-and-knight mate is rare but appears in tournaments, and failing it costs half a point. Mate is only possible in a corner of the bishop’s colour.
By the end you can
- Mate with B+N vs K within 33 moves
- Use the W-manoeuvre with the knight
The lesson
The bishop-and-knight mate is rare but appears in tournaments, and failing it costs half a point. Mate is only possible in a corner of the bishop’s colour. Drive the king to the edge, then towards the right corner.
The key technique is the knight’s W-shaped route that keeps the king from escaping along the edge while the bishop takes away squares. Practise until you can do it under the 50-move limit with a clock running.
Key points to remember
- Mate in the corner of the bishop’s colour
- King + knight + bishop build a net
- Learn the W-manoeuvre
- Watch the 50-move rule
Examples
Show the moves
1. Kb2 Kd6 2. Kc3 Kd5 3. Bd3 Kd6 4. Kc4 Ke6 5. Bb1 Kf6 6. Kd5 Ke7 7. Be4 Ke8 8. Ke6 Kd8 9. Kd6 Ke8 10. Bf5 Kf7
Homework
Mate the engine with B+N twice within 40 moves.
More endgames lessons
- Mini-games: pawn wars and queen vs pawns (Foundation)
- Can the king catch the pawn? The rule of the square (Novice)
- King and pawn vs king: opposition (Class F)
- Passed pawns and promotion races (Class F)
- The Lucena position: building a bridge (Class E)
- The Philidor defence: holding rook endings (Class E)