KING AND TWO KNIGHTS AGAINST KING.

The two Knights, with the assistance of the King, cannot force checkmate, except in some very rare cases.

KING AND PAWN,—­KING, BISHOP, AND PAWN,—­AND
KING, KNIGHT, AND PAWN,—­AGAINST KING.

When one Pawn only is left on the board, supported by its King, and the adverse King is either in front of the Pawn, or within such distance as to be able to intercept it, it becomes a point of great nicety in some cases, to calculate whether or not you have the power of Queening the Pawn, and therefore of winning the game.  This frequently depends upon your gaining the opposition, which you cannot always do.

In the next position (see Diagram 6) you have the opposition, and if Black have to play you will win.  Thus:—­

                                        1.  K. to his sq.
       2.  P. to K’s 7th. 2.  K. to his 2d.
       3.  K. to B’s 7th, and
       4.  P. Queens.

But if you move first, the game is drawn; for if you play P. to K’s 7th (ch.), Black moves King to his square, and you must either abandon the Pawn or give stalemate.  You will find, on trial, that any other mode of play on your part will produce the same result,—­from which is deduced this important general rule:  That if you can advance the Pawn to its 7th sq., not giving check, you will win; but that if the Pawn checks at this point, you will only draw.

In this position (see Diagram 7), you will win either with or without the move; for if Black have to play, he is forced to allow your King to be moved either to B’s 7th or Q’s 7th sq.; and if you move you gain the opposition, by playing K. to B’s 6th or Q’s 6th, and then P. to K’s 6th.  It is evident that this would equally hold good if your Pawn were any number of squares less advanced; so that you invariably win, if you can succeed in placing your King on the sixth square of the file occupied by your Pawn, and in front of it; provided, of course, that the single King cannot attack the Pawn, so as to compel you to retreat in order to support it.  It is perhaps scarcely necessary to observe, that if the Pawn be upon either of the Rooks’ files, these remarks will not apply—­this contingency will be considered hereafter.

Diagram 8.

             WHITE.  BLACK.
       1.  K. to Q’s 2d. 1.  K. to his 2d.
       2.  K. to his 3d. 2.  K. to his 3d.
       3.  K. to his 4th. 3.  K. to B’s 3d.
       4.  K. to Q’s 5th. 4.  K. to K’s 2d.
       5.  K. to his 5th. 5.  K. to B’s 2d.
       6.  K. to Q’s 6th.

If he play K. to B’s 3d, you advance P. to K’s 4th, then to K’s 5th, and on his afterwards moving K. to his sq., you gain the opposition, as shown before.

6.  K. to his sq., or to B’s sq.
7.  K. to K’s 6th. 
And then advances Pawn, winning.