Bishop and Rook Pawn: Winning by Cutting the King Off
White to play and win
PlayYour bishop cannot control h8, so if the black king reaches the corner it is a draw. The rule: keep him out with the bishop first, then bring your king over to guard the pawn. From d2 your king is close enough, and this time it wins.
Updated
New to this ending? Learn the method first: The Wrong Bishop
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Cutting the King Off With the Bishop
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
h8 is dark and your bishop is light-squared. The black king is on f8, and g8 is his only way into the corner. Bring the king first with Ke3, and Kg8 gets in: draw.
The wrong bishop and rook pawn is only a draw when the defending king reaches the corner. Keep him out and the ending is a normal win.
The bishop does the work. Bh7 covers g8, the only entrance to h8. That single move fences the enemy king out. It is the standard cutoff maneuver, and here it is the only move that wins.
Then the king pays for it. The bishop is buried behind its own pawn, and the h6 pawn is on a square the light bishop can never defend, so the king must march over: Ke3, Kf4, covering g5 and freeing the bishop.
It is a race. With the king one square further away this exact plan is only a draw.
The cutoff depends on the king. Where the bishop slams the door changes with the enemy king. Against a king on f8, Bh7 covers g8. Against a king on f6, the bishop goes to h5, or to e8, and the king never gets back in front of the pawn. And if the bishop already stands on f5, one move, Be6, does the whole job.
In this drill the engine sprints for the corner. Slam the door with the bishop, then bring the king.
Keep going
The Buried Bishop: the Defender Holds
Black to play and draw
Bishop Against Connected Pawns: the Defender Holds
Black to play and draw
Do Not Put the King In Front of the Pawns
Black to play and draw
All 24 bishop endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)