Opposite-Colored Bishops: How to Hold the Draw
White to play and draw
PlayWith opposite-colored bishops, one extra pawn almost never wins. Your bishop controls one color, the enemy king cannot cover everything, and the blockade holds.
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Opposite Bishops: The Defensive Draw
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Opposite-colored bishop endings are the most drawish in chess: because the bishops never contest the same squares, the defender builds a blockade the attacker can never break.
The method. Choose the square in front of the pawn that sits on your bishop's color, occupy it with king or bishop, and hold it. The attacking bishop controls the other color and is powerless against your fortress.
Why one pawn is not enough. To win, the stronger side usually needs two well-separated passed pawns, so the defender cannot cover both colors at once. A single pawn, or two close pawns, is a draw.
In this drill you defend down a pawn. Find the blockade square on your color and refuse to leave it: the attacker cannot make progress.
Keep going
Beat the Wrong-Diagonal Bishop
White to play and win
Rook and Knight Pawns: Wait on the Long Diagonal
Black to play and draw
Race to the Fortress
Black to play and draw
All 19 opposite bishops positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)