Now to open a whole new can of worms. I disagree with Capablanca.

I learned this checkmate. I can do it consistantly. It's one of those things I still go back and practice once every couple of months, just to make sure I can still remember how to do it, because after that amount of time I spent learning it, I would just kill myself if it ever actually comes up (it hasn't yet) and I blow it.

But I don't think it's helped my piece coordination ability at all. My time definitely would have been better spent improving my skill at QvR, pawn endgames, or rook and pawn endgames.

If any of you guys have got links to where i can find the solution why not help a knowledge seeking chess friend, doh i may not come across it in my life time, it could still fetch me some well deserved thousands so what say y'all? thanx 4 d comments posted, i appreciate your concern.

Jobito:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_and_knight_checkmate

This fit was from the same guy that refused to shakes hands with Nigel Short?

 I agree that Q vs. R is harder, and more useful.

I've had NBK vs K about fifteen times in 45,000 online games and never had it OTB, except in a dozen or more casual games where I promote pawns to knights and bishops in order to practice. Sometimes I reach a king and pawn endgame, point to a corner square and say, "I'm gonna mate you here," then promote to the minor pieces and execute. Last week, my own pawns got in the way of the drive from the wrong corner to the right one. I considered promoting one of them to a rook to force the king to take it.

 Yes, same guy, he's a real jerk !  The worst losers I have seen/been around/played chess with are from eastern europe. Must be something in the water there ? 

I would think that growing up under the colonial conditions of being a Soviet satellite would lead to certain social problems (sort of like the American South in the early to mid-twentieth century, but in a completely different way). We in the American west suffer a different set of self-delusions, such as our fantasies of independence.

Are you being chauvinistic on purpose ? Is it something in the water over there ?

 I am just being honest.

The comparison is so far-fetched as to be almost nebulous. Frankly it only shows a need to understand things on one's own terms.

I have had this ending come up twice. The first time was on this site turn-based, so I was able to look up how to do it. The second time was over the board a short time after, when I had the method fresh in my memory. Both times were relatively easy because in both cases the opponent's king was already cut off from the middle; in the first case he also couldn't run for the corner opposite the checkmating corner, and in the second case he could have but didn't know to do it. If you don't have to do much to force the king to the edge and if you don't have to drive him across the board from one corner to another, this ending is pretty easy just using your logic. In the over the board game, though, I did have to use that trick where the king almost escapes from the corner but is driven back. For me this was half vaguely remembering and half figuring it out.

If I had had to drive a king back from the middle of the board in an over-the-board game, I would probably mess up and exceed the 50-move limit.

Learning this ending is not important so much for how many times it comes up but for the practice and skill it gives you in piece coordination. The best and clearest explanation of this ending I have seen is in Tarrasch's "The Game of Chess."

Hm, maybe I misread, did you mean "worst at losing in chess" or "losers" in general ?

Thanx Marvellosity, u're marvelously going to make a super grandmaster, mark my words. Thanx

yep

Not sure.

The king+bishop+knight against king mate is explained in the book :

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Chess, by Jon Edwards.

Nice book.

I thank y'all for your contributions, i guess i became a better chess player based on that. I also hope to start giving more time and attention to chess and chess.com. That implies that as we progress, expect certain analytical Posts and sharings from my desk. Till then, let's play and enjoy...

Hi all - I'm fairly new to all this (first forum post) and just became interested through trying to learn endings on Fritz. I was getting frustrated because I couldn't figure out how to do this ending, now I am wondering whether it is even worth my time. I found K + 2 bishops fairly easy. I could use some advice though, which endings would be worth study?

@ darkstormyknight, marvellousity gave me this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_and_knight_checkmate so check it out... It'll help