White to play and checkmate. From this position it will take a minimum of 28 moves to checkmate! And it could only be more moves if you slip along the way. It could take more or less number of moves if the position is different with the same pieces. Let us assess the position. 1. White needs to check 50 moves rule. Check when the rule starts applying and how many moves are left with to force a win. 2. If White loses one of the pieces, the game will be declared as draw due to'insufficient' material to force checkmate! 3. With the present set of available pieces, it is impossible to force a checkmate in the centre. 4. The Black king would like to stay in the center as long as possible to avoid or delay checkmate. 5. White should try to force the Black king to one of the two corners where the corner square can be attacked by the bishop. 6. The combination of the White pieces must be creating a virtual wall to force the Black king to the desired corner.
White to play and checkmate. From this position it will take a minimum of 28 moves to checkmate! And it could only be more moves if you slip along the way. It could take more or less number of moves if the position is different with the same pieces. Let us assess the position. 1. White needs to check 50 moves rule. Check when the rule starts applying and how many moves are left with to force a win. 2. If White loses one of the pieces, the game will be declared as draw due to'insufficient' material to force checkmate! 3. With the present set of available pieces, it is impossible to force a checkmate in the centre. 4. The Black king would like to stay in the center as long as possible to avoid or delay checkmate. 5. White should try to force the Black king to one of the two corners where the corner square can be attacked by the bishop. 6. The combination of the White pieces must be creating a virtual wall to force the Black king to the desired corner.