How to check mate with a night and bishop vs king

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Xieff

I have always wanted to know how to do this. Anyone know the system?

Xieff

I do know the bishops. :]

woton

The hard part is getting to the following position.  There are other variations, but this is typical.



woton

Here's a link to one of my games where I used the technique.

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/endgames/kbn-vs-k2

Xieff

Man I don't quite get the concept just cuz but wow. That would take a LONG time for me to learn. LOL! Thank you much man. :D

Xieff

Do you know how to get to that position?

woton

It takes lots of practice.  I place the pieces in a random position and start herding the king into the corner.  Most of the time, I can checkmate in less than 50 moves (one mistake, and it's usually a drawn game).  

Most people will tell you that there's no reason to study this endgame because it rarely occurs.  However, I have found it useful in learning how to manipulate bishops and knights.

woton

If you practice using the position that I gave, and try different variations, you will eventually see how the knight and bishop can control a large number of squares.  From there, it's a small step to learning how to herd the king.

Mr_Tarkanian

Can the bishop checkmate the king in the daytime, too?

Xieff

Haha yes! I realized that error right before you said that haha!

Mr_Tarkanian

Haha  :)