Tactics · Learn

The Double Bishop Mate

Two bishops on adjacent, parallel diagonals sweep the squares around a cornered king and deliver mate: one bishop checks, the other seals the escape. The king's own pieces usually block the remaining flights.

How to spot it: with the enemy king in the corner behind its pawns, line up both bishops on neighbouring diagonals (e.g. a king on h8 caught by bishops on the b1–h7 and a1–h8 lines). A sacrifice to clear a diagonal often sets it up.

Now spot it yourself

A real position: find the move. This is exactly what the drills in the app do, banded from beginner to expert.

How this lesson is made: this public explanation comes from the authored Strong Squares curriculum. Automated checks protect its chess data, source fields and learning flow. Independent chess-editor approval remains part of the private-preview release process. Read the teaching method.