Two bishops checkmate

White to move and win.

Side by side, two bishops make a wall the king cannot cross. Mate comes in a corner, with your king close by.

The idea

  1. Keep the bishops next to each other, on neighbouring diagonals.
  2. Bring your king in early: the bishops cannot do it alone.
  3. Mate can only be given in a corner, so drive the king to one.

More basic checkmates

All endgames · Practice · Openings