very long wins exist. That being said, with so many major pieces on the board most positions are not tactically quiet, so general conclusions are difficult to draw. Two rooks versus four bishops: normally a draw (if the bishops come in two pairs). Minor pieces only Trivial cases: These are all trivial draws in general: bishop only, knight only, bishop versus knight, bishop versus bishop, knight versus knight. Two minor pieces: Two bishops is a basic checkmate (if the bishops are on opposite colors) A bishop and knight is a basic checkmate, see bishop and knight checkmate Two knights cannot force checkmate, see two knights endgame Two minor pieces versus one minor piece: Two bishops versus a knight: this is a win (except for a few trivial positions where Black can immediately force a draw), but it can take up to 66 moves. See Effect of tablebases on endgame theory, Fortress (chess)#Semi-fortress in two bishops vs. knight and see the example from the Botvinnik versus Tal game below. Also see the tournament game of Manotas vs van Riemsdijk, where Black (the side with the bishops) broke the Kling and Horwitz semi-fortress and won the knight. Other cases: this is normally a draw in all other cases. Edmar Mednis considered the difficulty of defending these positions: Two bishops versus one bishop: The easiest for the defender to draw, unless the defending king is caught in a corner. Two knights versus one bishop: any normal position is an easy draw. Two knights versus one knight: an easy draw if the defending king is not trapped on the edge. However, if the king is trapped on the edge, there may be a win similar to the two knights versus a pawn endgame. Bishop and knight versus a bishop on the same color: may be lost if the defending king is on the edge; otherwise an easy draw. Bishop and knight versus a bishop on the opposite color: normally a draw but the defense may be difficult if the defending king is confined near a corner that the attacking bishop controls. Bishop and knight versus a knight: best winning chances (other than two bishops versus knight). The difficulty of defense is not clear and the defending knight can be lost if it is separated from its king. Three minor pieces versus one minor piece: a win except in some unusual situations involving an underpromotion