ENDGAMES: Elementary Mates

After trading off most of the pieces, or after a pawn promotion, you will sometimes find yourself trying to checkmate a lone King, with the assistance of a Queen or a Rook, or more rarely, a pair of Bishops. The idea for winning is the same in all three cases -- use your King to trap your opponent’s King against one side of the board, then use the heavy pieces to mate.

King + Rook vs. King

In the following position, notice how the white Rook imprisons the black King. The black King cannot move to the d-file or to the 4th rank. White will not let the black King out of the box!

In fact, for his first move, white can limit the movement of the black King even more. 1. Kf4! Now look at where the black King cannot go:

Now the black King must give up ground, and be forced into a smaller box. Retreating the King to the 7th rank by 1…Ke7 or 1…Kf7 allows the white King to advance with 2. Kf5, so black’s best try is Kf6.

2. Re4! The box is even smaller! Once again, black must give ground. Retreating the King to the 7th rank allows the white King to advance, so black’s best try is 2…Kg6. White follows with 3. Re6+! If black tries to escape to the h-file with 3…Kh5, white has a quick mate in 2: (3. Rf6 Kh4 4. Rh6#) So black now has no choice, and must retreat to the 7th rank, Kg7.

Now continue confining the black King to an ever smaller and smaller box. There are a number of different ways to do it, here is one: 4.Kf5 Kf7 5.Re1 Kg7 6.Re7+ Kf8 7.Kf6 Kg8 8.Rc7 Kh8 9.Kg6 Kg8 10.Rc8#

Position immediately prior to 10. Rc8#

King + Queen vs. King

Checkmating with a King and a Queen versus a lone King can be treated the same way as King and a Rook, but you must be careful not to stalemate your opponent! Look at the following position carefully: the black King is not in check, but has nowhere to move. Be careful not to let this happen!

One good rule of thumb for avoiding stalemate in these situations is to always keep your opponent’s King in check. It may take a few extra moves to deliver checkmate, but you are certain not to accidentally deliver stalemate!

King + 2 Bishops vs. King

The two examples above are encountered fairly often in real chess games, but this one is not. You may never play an endgame with two Bishops versus a lone King, but this example illustrates the unique power of two Bishops working together. While this power is rarely used in exactly this manner in an endgame, it is used often in middlegames!

Two Bishops create an impassable wall.

From this position, white can mate in 4. The technique is to first cut off the King’s escape route with 1. Bd4! Now look where the black King cannot go:

1…Ka8 is the only move. Now, with the black King in the corner, the white King can take over the job of preventing escape up the a-file with 2. Kb6. Black’s only option is to move back to b8. Now the power of the two Bishops comes into play again. Because the two Bishops create an impassable wall, 3. Be5+! forces the black King back into the corner, 3…Ka8.

Position immediately prior to 4. Be4#

Now all that remains is to checkmate the trapped King with 4. Be4#. In thediagram above, notice how the two Bishops, working together, prevented the Black King from escaping along the 8th rank.

King + two minor pieces vs. King

It is technically possible to checkmate with a King, a Knight, and a Bishop versus a lone King, but even Grandmasters find it difficult. It is impossible to checkmate with a King and two Knights versus a lone King.