Essential mates · intermediate
Two-bishop mate
Use both diagonals and your king to drive the king into a corner.
The rule
Keep the bishops on adjacent diagonals while your king forces the defender toward the edge.
How to play it
- 1
Place adjacent bishops
Put the bishops on neighboring diagonals so they cover both square colors.
- 2
Advance the king
Walk the king toward the wall while the bishops stay out of capture range.
- 3
Cover the corner
Use the king for the final escape squares and the bishops for the mating diagonals.
Study the line, then play it
Step through the example. Then play your moves from the same position.
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Move 0 of 9
Starting position
Play through the line one move at a time.
Before you play
Moves to queue
- 1.Form the bishop wall
- 2.King toward the wall
- 3.King one step closer
Safe when
The bishops stay protected and the enemy king cannot attack either one.
Stop when
The defending king crosses a bishop diagonal or approaches one of the bishops.
Common mistake
An early bishop check can open an escape square on the other color.
Mate with two bishops inside the fifty-move limit.
Start with a comfortable clock. Reduce it when the position feels familiar. Your record is 0/0.