Bishop Endgame: Trading Into a Won One-Pawn Ending
White to play and win
PlayYou can win the g4 pawn, but only by giving up the a6 pawn, and everything depends on whether the black king gets back in time. The solution starts with a king move, not a capture.
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Only the King Can Take That Pawn
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
Multi-pawn bishop endings are usually decided by which single-pawn ending you can steer into, and by whether the enemy king gets back in time.
The defender's pawn rule. With a bishop, put your pawns on your bishop's color. Keep them there and the enemy bishop can never touch them, so their king alone has to do the attacking. This is the exact inverse of the advice given to the stronger side, and it is why the win here begins with 1.Kf4!, not with a capture.
The transposition. Trading g4 for a6 leaves bishop and pawn versus bishop of the same color, which is won here because the pawn cannot be blockaded in time.
The finish. The king walks into the corner behind the pawn, and the bishop drives the enemy king back and then blocks the guarding diagonal.
In this drill you count first and capture second.
Keep going
Give the g-Pawn Away
White to play and win
Centurini: Same-Colored Bishops
White to play and win
The Wrong Bishop's Bodyguard Pawn
White to play and win
All 24 bishop endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)