Can two knights deliver checkmate in chess?

The trickiest pieces in the game can combine to finish off a match, but they need a bit of help from other pieces (or a very cooperative enemy). Look closely for closed positions and some options for trickery therein, and you might just be able to hop your way to victory!

Checkmating with two knights on an empty board is technically possible, but it requires monumental blunders from your opponent to pull it off, so for a practical purpose, that position is a draw. However, if the defending side has an extra pawn, that can paradoxically work against them and actually lead to a checkmate since they can mess up the eventual stalemate defenses that emerge.

These endgames are super-complicated and can bedevil even the best players in the world in an over-the-board setting: many positions that are tech.

The double knight checkmate tends to emerge with more pieces on the board, where the other pieces blockade the king’s potential escape routes. Nevertheless, it is still quite rare to see such positions because neither knight can be captured on their approach towards the king.

Here’s a schematic of a double knight mate position as they catch up with a cornered monarch:

These difficulties in delivering checkmate with knights highlight the specialized and limited utility of the piece and why most strong-level players tend to prefer bishops over them unless the position specifically calls for some hopping across a set of closely chained pawn structures.

However, checkmating with two knights is very much possible, and it is a special moment whenever it arises.