Double bishop mate puzzles
Two bishops on adjacent diagonals mate a king that is hemmed in by its own pieces on the edge of the board..
About double bishop mate puzzles
Two bishops on adjacent diagonals mate a king that is hemmed in by its own pieces on the edge of the board.
How to spot it
- Look for two bishops pointing at the king's corner from adjacent diagonals.
- The king's escape squares must be blocked, usually by its own pawns or pieces.
- Often a rook or queen sacrifice removes a defender first.
A common mistake
Missing that both bishops need open diagonals at the same time.
A worked example
K
R
B
N
N
B
B
QNB
K
RBlack to move. White has just played Qe7. Find the best move.
Solution: 29... d4+ 30. Bf3 Bxf3#
d4+ checks the king, so your opponent has to answer the check. The last move is checkmate: the king has no safe square and nothing can block or capture. The idea: Two bishops on adjacent diagonals mate a king that is hemmed in by its own pieces on the edge of the board..
The highlighted squares show White's last move. This position is a different puzzle from the ones you start with above (1006 rating).
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Questions
How rare is the double bishop mate?
It is rare in practice, but common in puzzles, because it is a clean pattern with two long diagonals.
Where do these puzzles come from?
They are real puzzles from the Lichess puzzle database, which is free to use under the CC0 license. Each one was built from a real game and tested by many players. We picked well-rated ones with good popularity scores.
Are the puzzles free?
Yes. There is no signup, no limit and no ads on the puzzles. Your progress on this page is not saved after you leave.
What do the difficulty levels mean?
Beginner puzzles are rated under 1250, intermediate 1250 to 1749 and advanced 1750 and up, using the rating Lichess players earned on each puzzle.