Bishop and Pawn vs Bishop: Rear Opposition Draws
White to play and draw
PlayYou have the bishop and the extra pawn, and still there is no win here. The black king has taken the one post that saves him: directly behind yours. That is rear opposition, and it turns this into an ironclad draw.
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Rear Opposition Holds
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Same-colored bishop endings are won by interference: the bishop blocks its rival on a square the king protects, off the pawn's path. Take that square away and the win disappears.
Rear opposition. When the defending king has no square in front of the pawn, its ideal post is directly behind the stronger king. From c5 it controls c6, the only trade square that does not block the pawn.
The interference is refused. White would like Bf3 and Bc6, but with c6 guarded the recapture Kxc6 is illegal, because the kings would touch. A trade anywhere on the d-file simply stalls the pawn. Nothing breaks the hold.
In this drill you play the stronger side and discover the ceiling. Probe with the bishop, watch the king on c5 answer every idea, and accept the draw.
Keep going
The Three-Square Diagonal
White to play and win
The Wrong Bishop
Black to play and draw
Centurini: Deflect, Then Interfere
White to play and win
All 24 bishop endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)