Bishop and Knight Mate

The bishop and knight mate is the hardest basic mate: the enemy king must be driven to a corner of the bishop's colour, where the bishop gives the final check.

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Pieces: Bishop + knight + king
Level: Advanced
Mating side: White
Also known as: fil ve at ile mat, bishop and knight checkmate

Moves

1.Be5#

The king is on h8 (a dark corner, the bishop's colour). The h6 knight covers g8 and White's king covers g7 and h7. 1.Be5 gives check: mate.

Try it against the computer Solve puzzles

How to recognise Bishop and Knight Mate

Mate can only be forced in the corner of the bishop's colour.
King, knight and bishop together use the 'W manoeuvre' to drive the king to the right corner.

How to defend

For the defender: run to the wrong-coloured corner and hope for the 50-move rule.
For the attacker: finish within the 50-move limit.

Bishop and Knight Mate: the final position

Frequently asked questions

How many moves does it take?

At most 33 moves from the worst position; it must be done within the 50-move rule.

Do I need to know it?

It is rare in games, but a superb technical exercise.

Continue with lessons

Lesson 48: Mate with Two Bishops

Similar checkmate patterns

Two Bishops Mate — Two bishops side by side build a wall on adjacent diagonals and, with the king's help, drive the enemy king into a corner.
Queen and King Mate — Queen and king versus king is the first endgame technique every player must know: the queen drives the king to the edge, your king approaches and the queen mates on the last rank.
Rook and King Mate — In the rook and king mate the rook boxes in the enemy king and, when the kings stand face to face, checks along the edge for mate.

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