The short answer is, “no.”

The long answer is a little more interesting, and has a surprise in it. First, let’s look at what happens when you try to checkmate a lone King with a King and Knight.

King and Knight can’t checkmate a lone King.

In order to checkmate the enemy King, you must, at a bare minimum, be able to check the enemy King when he is in the corner of the board and cover the three possible escape squares. So let’s say that the Black King is sitting on h1. Since the King can’t check the enemy King (the King giving check would also be in check himself), the check must be delivered by the Knight. That means that the Knight would have to check the King at h1. So the Knight would have to sit on f2 or g3. Let’s imagine that the Knight is on f2 and delivering check to the enemy King at h1. Like so:

Now we just have to add the White King to cover the possible escape squares. If we put White’s King on h3 or g3, it covers two escape squares (h2 and g2), but it leaves g1 open.

And if we put the White King on f1 or f2 to cover the g1 square, that leaves h2 open as an escape hatch. As it turns out, there is no way to cover the four squares needed to construct the checkmating position. There is just no way to make a position where the King and Knight can checkmate the lone enemy King.

If you doubt me on this, I encourage you to get out a chess board and try to set up a checkmate position. It can’t be done.

But the King and Knight can sometimes mate the enemy King.

Here’s the surprising part: the King and Knight can checkmate the enemy King in certain positions if we give Black a little more material — i.e., where Black has a Rook-pawn.

First, you should know that this is merely theoretical; it will almost never come up in a real game. (Reuben Fine called this a “problem position.”) But it is helpful to know the idea, if only to know how the pieces react with one another. So here’s the idea.

In this position, White can checkmate the enemy King with two beautiful moves:

• 1.Nf1 (stalemating the Black King, and so forcing his next move)
• 1…h2
• 2.Ng3 mate

Beautiful, isn’t it? But let’s make the position a little tougher. Let’s change the starting position of the pieces so that the White Knight starts at f4, like this…

… we actually have a mate in 6. Check this out!

• 1.Ne2! Kh2 (otherwise White will play 2.Ng3 mate)
• 2.Nc3 (White could also play 2.Nd4 and then 3.Nf5 here) Kh1
• 3.Ne4 Kh2 (Again forced, else White mates immediately)
• 4.Nd2 Kh1
• 5.Nf1 h2
• 6.Ng3 mate

Speaking of Stalemate

It is possible to stalemate Black with a King and Knight. In this position, for example:

White is two moves from checkmate, and wins with either 1.a8(Q) or 1.a8(R) or any other move (though other moves would take a little longer) except for one: 1.Nf3?? stalemate.

It would be better in this type of position to get the Knight out of the way, forget about it, and just win with the Queen and King against King. If you need to review the procedure for checkmating with a King and Queen against King, just click the preceding link.

So there you have it, Phil — you can’t win with a King and Knight against a King. But I hope it turned out to be a little more interesting than you thought at first!

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If you’ve played much chess at all, you have probably gotten to the point where you understand that being a piece down (or even a couple of pawns down) means you’re probably going to lose. Unless there is some strong edge or the possibility of an attack, being significantly down in material means you’re going to lose. And you resign.

And your opponents feel the same way. You win a Knight; opponent resigns.

Or you get to an endgame with a good passed pawn. Winning ending; opponent resigns. You Queen a Pawn; opponent resigns.

And so it goes. Most games played with long time controls end with either very simple mates (Queen and King against King) or one of the players resigns in an obviously losing position. (Unless, that is, the game ends in a draw.)

In any case, relatively few games end with checkmate or the impending threat of checkmate.

So how is the average player to get practice with checkmate patterns when the opponent always resigns long before checkmate?

One solution is just to get a book with checkmate patterns (such as Reinfeld’s book 1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate). But that isn’t quite the same as practicing against an opponent.

The solution – Play Speed Chess

The solution to the problem of practicing checkmates against a live, resisting opponent, is to play speed chess. Preferably 5-minute games or shorter.

A much higher percentage of fast time-control games end in checkmate than longer games do. The reason is because of the time control. With a short time control, your opponent knows that though you may be a Knight ahead, turning that Knight into a win might be difficult — it might not be obvious what to do to win with that extra Knight, and you end up losing on time. A lot of speed chess games end with one of the players losing on time, but a lot of them end with checkmate. The reason is because players are less likely to resign when behind by a Pawn or even a piece. The possibility of winning (or drawing) the game because the opponent’s time runs out keeps players playing in positions that they would otherwise resign.

The way to use this to your advantage is to take advantage of the increased possibility of studying interesting mating patterns. If you play even a few speed games, you will likely have one or more games end in checkmate. After the game, review the game, especially the checkmate, and see if you can learn anything about the pattern. Is there a better way to do it? Did the opponent have a defense he overlooked? Then review the mating pattern a few days later.

You could even make a database of checkmate patterns from your own games. I find this to be very helpful for review.

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Most chess books devoted to teaching beginners how to play chess and many basic endgame books (such as Reuben Fine’s Basic Chess Endings or Pandolfini’s Endgame Course) will show how to execute this checkmate. I recommend studying the examples in one of those books, as well as learning the example I give here.

As with most of the simple checkmates, the first important goal is getting your King to the center of the board. The two Bishops can checkmate the opponent only with the help of their own King!

Second, the Bishops should work together.

Notice how, in this diagram, the two Bishops placed next to each other prevent the enemy King from attacking them. The Bishops guard four squares directly in front of them, thus preventing the King from immediately attacking either one of them. In fact, the Bishops have the enemy King completely imprisoned, and the White King can now stroll up to the scene to aid in further confining the opponent.

Third, the Bishops working together can deprive the enemy king of squares, forcing him to the edge of the board and then to the corner, where he can be checkmated. In order to checkmate with two Bishops against a King, the King must be driven into a corner.

From the following position, White can checkmate Black in 16 moves. The first objective is to get the King and both Bishops in the center of the board. This will automatically confine Black to one section of the board, bounded by White’s Bishops.

1.Kc3 Ke5
2.Kc4+ Kf5
3.Kd5 …

King in the center! Notice that the two Bishops, working from a distance and from opposite corners, completely dominate the center squares. (Look at the position after 2.Kc4+ to see the strong work the Bishops can do in kicking the enemy King out of the center.)

3… Kf4
4.Be4 Ke3
5.Be5 …

Step 2 -- Bishops in the Center

Both Bishops in the center! Notice that 5.Bd4 (instead of Be5) would have allowed Black to stay nearer the center of the board with 5…Kf4. Since we’re trying to drive Black away from the center and toward a corner, Be5 would have wasted a move.

5… Kd2
6.Kd4 Ke1
7.Ke3 Kd1

Step 3 - Advance the King

Now the Bishops will cooperate to deprive the enemy King of escape squares along the edge of the board, one square at a time. We’ll use the Bishops to take away squares from the left side, and use our King to guard squares on the right side (the flank nearest the corner of the board). Watch how the Bishops “roll up” the King.

8.Bb2 Ke1
9.Bc2 Kf1
10.Kf3 Ke1
11.Bc3+ Kf1
12.Bd3+ Kg1

Step 4 - King guards right flank, Bishops roll up left flank

Now our King has to cover the escape squares on the right side.

13.Kg3 Kh1
14.Bb2 …

This is just a tempo move. If 14.Bd4 to take away another square from the enemy King, it turns out we’ve taken away too many squares! It’s stalemate; a draw. So waste a move, taking care to make sure Black’s King doesn’t escape the net!

14… Kg1
15.Bd4+ Kh1
16.Be4#

Checkmate!

Checkmate. This mate won’t come up very often, if ever, in your games; but it’s a useful exercise to see how the Bishops can cooperate to hem in enemy pieces.

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This article is about how to finish the mate with King and Rook against King. This mate is slightly more difficult than the one with the Queen, but relatively easy once you see the method and understand the concepts.

I will have three posts about this checkmate: the first shows the checkmate patterns with Rook and King against King, the second has rules and tips for mating with a King and Rook against King, and the third will show a 15-move checkmate from a difficult starting position to the final checkmate.

The checkmate patterns

There are three, and only three, patterns for checkmating with King and Rook v. King. The first pattern is the checkmate on the side of the board. This checkmate can occur on any edge of the board on any square that is not a corner square. The Kings stand opposite each other and the White Rook checks the Black King along the side.

In the diagram above, the Rook gives check along the rank, and could be anywhere on that rank except c8 or e8. (If the Rook were on c8 or e8, the Black King could get out of check by capturing the Rook.)

The second and third patterns occur with the Black King in the corner. In this next one, the Black King is in the corner with the White King a Knight’s-move away and the White Rook checking from the side. Again, the White Rook can be anywhere along the 8th rank, provided he’s not right next to the Black King on b8.

The third pattern is really just a variation of the first and second patterns; the Black King is in the corner and the White King stands directly opposite the Black King.

If you know these patterns, you will have a goal to reach for your King and Rook v. King checkmate. The video has examples of how you might reach these positions, and my next post will give rules for reaching these checkmate positions.

Technorati Tags: how to checkmate, king and rook checkmate

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A draw is a tie … neither player wins. Though a draw against a very strong player can feel very much like a win. You will often hear chess players brag of their draws … (“I got a draw against such and such grandmaster”).

How a chess game ends in a draw

There are five ways to end a chess game in a draw:

1. Insufficient material to mate
2. Stalemate
3. Threefold repetition of position
4. The fifty-move rule
5. By agreement

Insufficient material to mate

In order to win the game, one side must have at least two minor pieces (the Bishop and the Knight are referred to as “minor” pieces; the Queen and Rooks are called “major” pieces), a Rook, or a Queen. Keep in mind, however, that if there is a Pawn on the board, there is always sufficient material for a mate because the Pawn could be promoted to a Queen. Bare Kings, King and Bishop against King, or King and Knight against King is a draw because there is not sufficient mating material. The stronger side must have at least King and Queen; King and Rook; King and two Bishops; or King, Bishop, and Knight. (King and two Knights against King is not enough to force mate, but that subject is beyond the scope of this article.)

Stalemate

The game is a draw if either King is stalemated. A stalemate occurs when the King is not in check, but has no legal moves. In the diagram below, if it is Black’s move, he has no legal move; Black is stalemated and the game is a draw. If it is White’s move, however, the game is not a draw, because Qe2 would be checkmate.

Threefold repetition of position

If the same position occurs three times on the chessboard with the same player to move (and the same castling and capturing privileges [the en passant capture might be a factor]), the game is a draw. “Perpetual check,” where one side repeatedly checks the enemy king over and over in an endless cycle, is a draw because of the threefold repetition rule.

The fifty move rule

If the players have made 50 moves without moving a Pawn, capturing a piece, or either side delivering checkmate, the game is a draw. This might occur in the more difficult checkmates (Bishop and Knight against King or King and Queen against King and Rook). It doesn’t occur very often.

By agreement of the players

By far the most common way of drawing a game is where the players agree to a draw. This occurs because the players foresee that the game will inevitably end in a draw by one of the other methods. In such a situation the rules allow the players to end the game as a draw by agreement.

How should I offer a draw?

The proper way to offer a draw to your opponent is to say, “I offer a draw,” then make your move, and punch your clock. The opponent then has as much time as he wishes to consider your draw offer … as long as his flag hasn’t fallen! Some players will offer a draw on their move and look at their opponent, expecting an answer. If you are going to wait for an answer, wait for it with your opponent’s clock running! And if you offer a draw, you have to wait for an answer.

If you have offered a draw and your opponent makes a move without responding, he has rejected the draw offer and it’s off the table. He can’t “accept” your draw offer two moves later.

Be sure to visit my chess store, Shop For Chess, for my recommended chess books and equipment!

Technorati Tags: chess beginner, chess draw, chess for beginners, chess rules, how to play chess

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Checkmate is the object of the game. The object is not to have more pieces than your opponent; it is not to play the most beautiful game; it is to checkmate your opponent’s King.

Checkmate occurs when the King is in check (hopefully your opponent’s King) and he cannot get out of check by any of the possible means.

Here is a typical checkmate pattern.

Notice that the Queen gives check to the King on the diagonal, and the Bishop guards the Queen against capture. Remember from our previous article about check that there are three ways to get out of check: move the King, interpose a piece, or capture the checking piece. Let’s apply those tests to this diagram to see if White can get out of check.

First, the King can has only two hypothetically possible moves: capture the Queen on h2 or move to the vacant square on h1. But both those squares are guarded – h2 by the Bishop and h1 by the Queen. White cannot move out of check.

Second, there is no possible interposition. Whenever the checking piece is in an adjoining square (or when the checking piece is the Knight) interposition is impossible. In those cases only moving the King or capturing the checking piece is a possible means of evading check. In this case the Queen gives check from an immediately adjoining square, so no interposition is possible.

Third, the King could get out of check if a piece (even the King) could capture the checking piece (the Black Queen in this case). But here there is no piece that could capture the Queen other than the King, and the King can’t capture it because the Bishop guards it. The King is not permitted by the rules to move into check.

The King is checkmated.

Have a look at the video to see ways that the King could avoid checkmate using variations on this basic position. And if you want to learn how to checkmate, there are some very good books to teach you just that. Learn Chess: A Complete Course has a chapter entitled Mating the Castled King with 45 practice positions for you to learn some of the basics. And if you want to have a lot of positions to practice on, check out 1001 Brilliant Ways to Checkmate by Fred Reinfeld. (Reinfeld has taught tactics to tens of thousands of chess players through this book. You really need it!)

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I faced the same problem when teaching my children how to play chess, and I came up with a simple set of rules for checkmating the opponent’s bare king when you have a king and queen.

Here are the rules:

Get your king in the center;
Make the box smaller;
Cut off the row;
Get the king in position;
Checkmate with the Queen, 1, 2, 3.

The first rule is to get your king in the center.  If your opponent has his King in the center (and he should) you will need to use your Queen together with your King to drive him out, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to do.

The second rule is to make the box smaller.  What I mean by a “box” is this: if you draw imaginary vertical and horizontal lines from your Queen to the edges of the board, you will see 1, 2, or 4 rectangular boxes.  Your opponent’s King will be in one of those boxes.  He will try to keep his King in the biggest box; your job is to make the box that the opponent’s King is in smaller and smaller, one step at a time.  You do this by moving your King and Queen together to constrict the space your opponent has available.

Third, you cut off the row.  That is, eventually your making the box smaller will drive your opponent’s King to one of the edges of the board.  When your opponent’s King stands on a square at the edge of the board, use your Queen to occupy the adjoining row (it can be either a vertical row or a horizontal row), which will keep him permanently stuck on the edge.

Fourth, get your King in position for the checkmate.  Specifically, move your King to a position directly opposite your opponent’s King.

Fifth, checkmate with the Queen, one, two, three.  “One, two, three” refers to the pattern that the pieces will make in the final position.  The opponent’s King will be on the edge of the board, one; your Queen will be in a line next to the opponent’s King in the next row, two; and three, your own King will stand next to the Queen, protecting it from capture.

The ability to checkmate your opponent is one of the first chess strategies you should master.  You can look at the video I’ve uploaded to see how to do this; I even show how my seven-year-old daughter used these rules to checkmate me … in practice, of course. 

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