Bishop and Pawn vs Bishop: Driving Off the Blockader
White to play and win
PlayYour pawn wants to reach d7, and the black bishop is the only black piece watching that square. The black king is too far away to help. The rule: offer a bishop trade on a square your king guards and away from the pawn's path, and the lone bishop is driven off.
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Driving Off the Lone 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.
Pushing at once throws the win away. After d7 Bxd7 Kxd7 you have only a bishop left, and a bishop alone cannot mate.
When bishops share a color and the defending king cannot reach the front of the pawn, the pawn usually goes through. A single bishop is not enough to blockade it.
Trade on the right square. The pawn is stopped on d7, and the bishop guards d7 from the a4-e8 diagonal. Offer the exchange on c6: it is protected by your king and it stands off the pawn's file, so the pawn is never obstructed. A trade on d7 wins too, but it lets the bishop switch diagonals and drag the fight out.
The king does the rest. After the bishops come off, your king shepherds the pawn: meet Ke8 with Kc7 and promote. Without its own king nearby, a lone bishop can always be evicted from the diagonals that cross the pawn's path.
In this drill the defender will shuffle the bishop to hold d7. Reroute to c6, force the trade, and walk the pawn home.
Keep going
The Frontal Defence
Black to play and draw
Bishop Holds Two Connected Pawns
White to play and draw
The Torn Bishop and the Saving Sacrifice
White to play and draw
All 24 bishop endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)