How to Checkmate with Queen and Bishop

Queen and Bishop checkmate is an easy way to win a chess endgame with a few moves.

Today, I will show you how to get a quick Checkmate with Queen and Bishop vs. King and how to avoid stalemate.

Read also: Rook and Queen checkmate explain

How to move the Bishop and the Queen in chess?

Bishop’s Movement: It moves diagonally across the board, advancing or retreating any number of squares along its diagonal path.

Queen’s Movement: You can move the Queen horizontally, vertically, or diagonally across any number of squares.

Checkmate with a Queen and the Bishop

To do a checkmate with a Queen and the Bishop, we need this pattern that is going to repeat all over:

So here, the opponent king has just one move: King to g8. After that move, you can checkmate him by playing Queen to g7.

Notice that the king has no square to go, and your queen is protected by the Bishop.

If you have light square Bishop, you can also checkmate your opponent in any corner you want. 

In this example, you can deliver a checkmate in two ways:

First, Queen to f8. The King can’t go to h7 because of our Bishop:

Read also: Knight and Bishop checkmate

The second way is Queen to h7, and the King is stuck in our checkmate:

Set up a position to Checkmate with a Queen and the Bishop

The easiest way is to drag the opponent king to the corner of the same color as your bishop by using the Queen.

You will push the king to this corner and aim to leave him only these two squares to move.

When you finally reach this position, you play a waiting move, such as Bishop to e3, and don’t play Bb2 directly because it’s a stalemate.

After the king’s move, you play the move Bishop to d4, forcing the king to go to g8. Then, you deliver the checkmate by playing Queen to g7.

Here is a live endgame to Queen and Bishop vs King:

Common mistakes to avoid

The most common mistake among players is getting a draw (stalemate) even though they have strong extra pieces.

In this position, you can’t play Bishop to b2 because your opponent’s king is not on check, and he cannot move, so it’s a draw.

Another example in this position: If you play Qf7, you will get a draw because the King can’t move.

Another mistake you can make is to try to push the king into a corner in a reckless manner that will cause you to lose your Queen and get a draw:

Checkmate with Queen & Bishop for Black

You have to follow the same methodology we used with the white pieces, which is to push the king to the corner of the board and deliver a checkmate.

Also, play carefully and avoid the stalemate.

Queen and Bishop Endgame Practice Exercises

Find the checkmate in one (Black to move):

Solution:

Find the checkmate in one (White to move):

Solution:

There are two solutions: Qf8 or Qh7.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)