Bishop & Knight Vs. King
Fundamental Checkmates
Can you checkmate with a bishop & knight?
The bishop & knight checkmate is considered the hardest checkmate to master and I’ve cracked it! I, a measly 1300-rated blitz online chess enthusiast, can checkmate with just a bishop & a knight. In all honesty, I haven’t had the chance to utilise this newfound skill, but when the time comes, I will be ready!
The main idea is to checkmate the king in the corner that your bishop controls. For instance, if you have the white-square bishop, you will checkmate your opponent’s king in a white corner (a8 or h1). It is possible to checkmate in other positions but this is the easiest, most common method. The trickiest part about checkmating with a bishop & knight is avoiding making a draw (either by stalemate or the 50-move rule). Luckily, checkmate can be forced from any starting position (that doesn’t easily blunder a piece) within 33 moves.
Step 1: Force the king to the edge
Using your king, bishop, and knight, control the squares around your opponent’s king to force it to the edge. Your king does a great job at controlling the squares in front of the opponent’s king, forcing it back.
