{"id":2295,"date":"2021-12-19T12:49:50","date_gmt":"2021-12-19T12:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/?p=2295"},"modified":"2021-12-19T13:02:34","modified_gmt":"2021-12-19T13:02:34","slug":"checkmate-with-two-knights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/checkmate-with-two-knights\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Knights End Game in Chess: Winning with Blunders"},"content":{"rendered":"

⭐⭐⭐ Take 4 minutes to read and improve your chess game ➡️ : This article was first published on, and is Copyright of Chessquestions.com<\/p>\n

It’s been a messy endgame and somehow, despite both sides losing all pawns, one player still has two knights remaining on the board. The question is, can you make checkmate with just two knights?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Checkmate with two knights against a lone King is not theoretically possible without the King making a blunder, however, if the King is accompanied by a pawn, then checkmate can be forced if the king is in the proximity of its pawn<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find yourself in a position where you are losing a game but have limited your opponent to just the two knights, you are in a position to ensure you do not lose the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two elements to ensure, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. You must somehow sacrifice your final pawn<\/li>
  2. You must not blunder<\/a> and only play the best possible king move in defense<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    This is a draw whoever has the next move.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Two Knights Endgame<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A lone king<\/a> vs two knights is a stalemate game, or a draw on time if the player with the two knights runs out of time. The two knights player doesn’t lose on time because a lone king is insufficient to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, if the king makes a blunder and the player with two knights uses their king in conjunction, they can pressure the king into making a blunder and finding themselves in a checkmate position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Also if the king has a pawn as support, in this situation against two knights it is actually a disadvantage, and better if the pawn is lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reason for this is the king may be pushed toward the pawn which in turn can occupy one escape square for the king, in this situation, the two knights and opposing king can indeed force checkmate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With the pawn off the board, the checkmate force is not possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You have to consider the special way in which the knight moves in a game of chess, whilst very effective as part of the overall attack working in conjunction with other pieces<\/a>, the knight is less effective working on its own or in pairs when there is a lot of space on the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    How Far Can Chess Pieces Move – Every Piece, Every Exception!<\/a><\/blockquote>