A Lone Knight Mates in the Corner
White to play and win
PlayA knight can never mate a bare king. This king is not bare: his own pawns on g6 and h3 will take away the squares he needs, and that is enough to build a mating net.
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A Lone Knight Mates in the Corner
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
King and knight against a bare king is a dead draw. Give the defender two pawns and the verdict can flip, because his own pawns block the flight squares his king needs.
The knight goes to g4. Nf6 first, then Ng4 with check. From g4 the knight covers h2 and f2 and the king in the corner has nothing.
The king closes the cage. Kf1 takes g1 and g2. Now the black king is completely immobile, and Black is left shuffling pawns into the net.
The mate. After Kf2 h2 Ne3 g4 Nf1 g3+ Nxg3 is mate. The pawn on h2 is Black's own, and it is exactly the square his king needed. That is the whole idea: material can be a liability.
Careful with the king. Ke1, Ke2, Ke3 and Kf3 all lose here. Losing while a piece up is what makes this position worth drilling.
Keep going
The Knight Blockade
Black to play and draw
Knight vs Rook Pawn
White to play and draw
Knight and Pawn vs Knight
White to play and win
All 16 knight endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)