Post by Chris F.A. JohnsonPost by abcWhat's the biggest material advantage that cannot mate against a lone king?
Two knights and a king cannot *force* mate against a lone king,
though a mate is possible.
Otherwise, K+B or K+N cannot mate a lone king.
Let's see. The two knights is roughly 600 centipawns, right?
And one Knight or one Bishop is 300 centipawns.
That's a good start, but it is far from the biggest.
And apologies for not being precise. I'll rephrase
the question slightly:
What is the biggest material advantage that can
_never force_ a mate against a lone King, regardless
of position, ie. there are NO positions that can be
set up with that material from which mate can be
forced?
And a second question:
What is the biggest material advantage where a
mate is not possible against a lone King, even
with the cooperation of the opponent, ie. there
are NO positions that can be set up with that
material that are mate or from which mate can
be reached by any sequence of legal moves?
Incidentally, the answer to both questions is
exactly the same.
Got you all thinking now, have I? Or not?
Those of you who knew it from before, please refrain
and don't spoil the fun for the rest of us.
abc