Bishop and Knight Pawn: Ponziani's Drawn Position
White to play and draw, after Ponziani, 1782
PlayPonziani published this draw in 1782. Your bishop is not just blockaded, it is entombed on h7 behind its own pawn, with no square to use. The only way to free it is to give it up, and the pawn ending after that is a known draw.
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The Bishop Buried on h7
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
An extra bishop and pawn are worthless when the bishop has no squares. Ponziani showed this in 1782 and it is still worth knowing.
The tomb. With the pawn on g6 and the bishop on h7, the bishop's whole diagonal runs behind its own pawn. The enemy king on g7 attacks it, and the pawn is its only defender.
The only exit loses the piece. Bg8 is met by Kxg8, and the resulting king and knight pawn ending is the textbook stalemate draw: Kh6 Kh8, g7+ Kg8, Kg6 with stalemate.
The lesson. Before you push a pawn in front of your bishop, ask where the bishop will live afterwards.
In this drill you look for a win that does not exist. Recognizing it saves you the disappointment.
Keep going
Connected Pawns Against the Long Diagonal
White to play and draw
Do Not Put the King In Front of the Pawns
Black to play and draw
Locked Knight Pawns Hold
White to play and draw
All 24 bishop endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)