Bishop and knight checkmate
Bishop and knight checkmate is the ending in which a king, a bishop and a knight force mate against a lone king, which must be driven into a corner of the bishop's color.
A bishop and a knight with the king can force mate against a lone king, but it is the hardest of the basic checkmates and many strong players never get it on the board. The key fact is that mate can be forced only in a corner of the same color as the bishop's squares. A defender who knows this runs to the other corner, so the attacker's real task is to move the king along the edge from the wrong corner to the right one.
Work backwards when you learn it. Start with the final pictures, where the king sits in the right corner or next to it and the bishop or the knight gives the last check. Then learn the walk along the edge: if the king has gone to the wrong corner, the knight follows a zigzag route, often called the W maneuver, that takes away the squares the bishop cannot reach and forces the king along the edge toward the other corner. Only then study the first stage, where the three pieces push the king from the center to an edge.
Time matters. The fifty-move rule leaves no room for aimless checks, so a player who knows the method can finish inside the limit, while a player who improvises often cannot.
Typical mistakes include chasing the king toward the wrong corner, leaving the knight or bishop where the lone king can attack it, and stalemating the king in the final phase. Practice the whole sequence against a computer until it feels routine.
It sits close to Two bishops checkmate. Two bishops checkmate is the ending in which a king and two bishops, one on light squares and one on dark squares, force mate against a lone king, usually in a corner, with the king helping.
Also worth reading is Two knights endgame. The two knights endgame is the ending with a king and two knights against a bare king, in which checkmate cannot be forced although it can sometimes arise by mistake.
A neighboring idea is Wrong-colored bishop. A wrong-colored bishop runs on the opposite color to the queening square of its side's rook pawn, so it can never cover that corner or drive out a defending king sitting there, and the ending is drawn.
Endgame ideas like "Bishop and knight checkmate" are won or lost on small details, which a coach can check in your own games. The first lesson with George Li is where that review starts.
Related terms
Two bishops checkmate is the ending in which a king and two bishops, one on light squares and one on dark squares, force mate against a lone king, usually in a corner, with the king helping.
A wrong-colored bishop runs on the opposite color to the queening square of its side's rook pawn, so it can never cover that corner or drive out a defending king sitting there, and the ending is drawn.
A minor piece endgame is an ending in which each side has only bishops or knights besides the kings and pawns, so the fight turns on piece activity, pawn structure and king position rather than on heavy pieces.
The two knights endgame is the ending with a king and two knights against a bare king, in which checkmate cannot be forced although it can sometimes arise by mistake.
Stalemate is a draw that occurs when the side on move has no legal move at all while its king is not attacked, so the game ends on the spot with half a point to each player.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.