Opposite Bishops: The G- and H-Pawn Exception
Black to play and draw
PlayTwo connected pawns on the sixth usually win, but not a g-pawn and an h-pawn against a bishop on the long diagonal. Your bishop on c3 covers g7 and h8, so one diagonal holds both pawns. The rule: bring your king to f8 and wait with the bishop on the long diagonal, out of reach of the white king.
Updated
New to this ending? Learn the method first: The Fortress
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Rook and Knight Pawns: Wait on the Long Diagonal
Black to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
Not Kh8. It gives up f7: after Ke6 Bb2 Kf7 the white king supports the g-pawn, and g7+ will break through.
Two connected passed pawns on the sixth normally win against an opposite-colored bishop. There is a single exception, and this is it: a knight's pawn and a rook's pawn, with the bishop planted on the long diagonal.
One diagonal does two jobs. From the a1-h8 diagonal the bishop covers g7, which freezes the g-pawn, and h8, the h-pawn's promotion square. Both pawns are held by one piece, so the defending king is free and never overloaded.
No outflanking, no zugzwang. The attacker would like to force zugzwang or walk his king around, but the edge of the board removes the second flank, and the defender always has another square on the long diagonal to wait with. Meet the king walk with Kf8, never Kh8, which would let White win with Ke6 and Kf7.
In this drill White will push the king forward and probe. Keep the bishop shuffling on the long diagonal, answer the approach with Kf8, and the half point holds.
Keep going
Race to the Fortress
Black to play and draw
The Cage
White to play and win
One File Apart: The King Blockade Holds
Black to play and draw
All 19 opposite bishops positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)