Endgame · advanced
Bishop + Knight Mate
The hardest basic mate: you can only mate in a corner of your bishop's color.
touch_appPlay it out against Stockfish. You have 35 moves; a move that throws the win away is caught and explained.
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The task
The hardest basic mate: you can only mate in a corner of your bishop's color.
- Checkmate
- Goal
- White
- You play
- 35 moves
- Move limit
Technique
- 1You have a light-squared bishop, so the mating corners are a8 and h1 (light squares).
- 2The knight covers the squares the bishop can't (opposite color).
- 3Use the 'W' knight manoeuvre to herd the king along the edge.
How the pieces work together
Bishop and knight cover opposite colors, and the king seals the rest. All three pieces must cooperate.
If you get stuck
Your bishop is light-squared, so mate must happen on a8 or h1. Drive the king toward a8.