Opposite-Colored Bishops Endgame
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Opposite -colored bishops endgame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 15 Opposite -colored bishops endgame From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The opposite-colored bishops endgame is a chess endgame in which each side has a single bishop, but the bishops reside on opposite-colored squares on the chessboard, thus can not attack or block each other. Without other pieces (but with pawns) these endings are notorious for their tendency to result in a draw. These are the most difficult endings in which to convert a small material advantage to a win. With additional pieces, the stronger side has more chances to win, but not as many as if the bishops were on the same color. Many players in a poor position have saved themselves from a loss by trading down to such an endgame. They are often drawn even when one side has an advantage of two or even three pawns, since the weaker side can create a blockade on the squares on which his bishop operates. Contents 1 General principles 2 Drawing tendency 3 Bishop and pawn versus bishop 4 Bishop and two pawns versus a bishop 4.1 Doubled pawns 4.2 Isolated pawns 4.2.1 Wrong rook pawn 4.2.2 Recap 4.3 Connected pawns 5 More pawns 6 Examples from master games 6.1 Berger vs. Kotlerman 6.2 Piskov vs. Nunn 6.3 Nunn 6.4 Sokolov vs. McShane 6.5 Lautier vs. Rublevsky 6.6 Kotov vs. Botvinnik 6.7 Fischer vs. Donner 6.8 Fischer vs. Polugaevsky 6.9 Vidmar vs. Maróczy 7 Advantageous with positional considerations 7.1 Against weak pawns 7.2 Positional advantages 8 Additional pieces 8.1 Knight 8.2 Rook 8.2.1 Example 8.3 Queen 9 History 10 Quotes 11 See also 12 Notes 13 References 14 Further reading 15 External links Opposite -colored bishops endgame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 15 General principles Edmar Mednis gives two principles for endgames with bishops on opposite colors: 1. If a player is down material he should look for drawing chances in an endgame with only the bishops and pawns. 2. With major pieces (queen or rook) on the board, having bishops on opposite colors favors the side with an attack (Mednis 1990:75). Ian Rogers gives three principles when there are only the bishops and pawns: 1. Two connected pawns are not sufficient to win unless they reach their sixth rank 2. If the attacker has two widely-separated passed pawns that cannot be controlled by the opposing bishop on a single diagonal, they usually win 3. When the attacker has an outside passed pawn, it should be stopped by the bishop only when the king can block the opposing king (Rogers 2010:40). Drawing tendency In endings with opposite-colored bishops, a material advantage is less important than in most endgames and position is more important. Positions when one side has an extra pawn are usually drawn and even two extra pawns (and occasionally more) may not be enough to win (Nunn 2007:145ff). About half of the endings with a bishop and two pawns versus a bishop on the opposite color are drawn (Emms 2004:91). (By contrast, over 90% are won if the bishops are on the same color.) Zugzwang is a tool that often helps the superior side win an endgame. It is a fairly common occurrence in endings with bishops on the same color but is much less common in endgames with opposite-colored bishops (Angos 2005:84,95). Interestingly the weaker side should often try to make his bishop bad by placing his pawns on the same color of his bishop in order to defend his remaining pawns, thereby creating an impregnable fortress (Emms 2004:100). The attacker should generally put his pawns on squares of the opposite color as his bishop to prevent a blockade (Emms 2004:91). Bishop and pawn versus bishop The attacker's bishop is practically useless and the defender can normally draw if his king can reach any square in front of the pawn that is not of the color of the attacking bishop; or if his bishop can permanently attack any square in front of the pawn (Fine & Benko 2003:184). These endings are trivially drawn 99% of the time (Emms 2004:90). Bishop and two pawns versus a bishop About half of these positions are drawn. In most other endings, a two pawn advantage is usually an easy win. For example, if the bishops were on the same color, 90% of the positions would be wins. There are three general cases, depending on the two pawns. In most endings, a pair of connected pawns have the best winning chances, but in these endings a widely -separated pair of pawns have the best chances ( de la Villa Opposite -colored bishops endgame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 3 of 15 2008 :110 –11), except when one of the pawns is the wrong rook pawn . Doubled pawns With doubled pawns the position is a draw if the defending king can reach any square in front of the pawns that is not of the color of the attacker's bishop. The second pawn on the file is of no help, so this is like the ending with only one pawn. If the defending king and bishop cannot accomplish this, the first pawn will win the defending bishop and the second one will promote (de la Villa 2008:104). Isolated pawns With isolated pawns (on different files), the outcome depends on how widely separated the pawns are. The more widely separated a b c d e f g h they are, the better the winning chances (Emms 2004:95). The rule 8 8 that holds in most cases is that if only one file separates the pawns the game is a draw, otherwise the attacker wins. The reason is that if 7 7 the pawns are more widely separated, the defending king must 6 6 block one pawn while his bishop blocks the other pawn. Then the attacking king can support the pawn blocked by the bishop and win 5 5 the piece. If only one file is between the pawns, the defender can 4 4 stop the advance of the pawns. See the diagram (Fine & Benko 3 3 2003:184–92). If three files separate the pawns, they normally win (Emms 2004:95). However, this is only a rule of thumb. There are 2 2 positions where the defender can set up a blockade, especially if 1 1 one of the pawns is the wrong rook pawn (Mednis 1990:114). a b c d e f g h Isolated pawns. White to play, a draw. White wins if the pawn is on f5 instead of e5 . In this position from Yuri Averbakh, Black draws since the bishop Averbakh, 1972 can restrain both pawns on the same diagonal with the help of the king and the white bishop is helpless. a b c d e f g h 8 8 1. Kd5 Kf6! The white king will not get to e6 7 7 2. Kc5 Ke7 3. Kb5 Bf4 6 6 4. Kb6 Kd8 , draw (de la Villa 2008:100). 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g h White to move, draw An example is the game N. Miller vs. A. Saidy, American Open N. Miller vs. A. Saidy, 1971 1971. White resigned in this position because he knew a "rule" articulated by Fine in the first edition of Basic Chess Endings : "If a b c d e f g h Opposite -colored bishops endgame - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 4 of 15 the pawns are two or more files apart, they win." (Fine 1941 :179) Since here three files separate the pawns, White assumed his 8 8 position was hopeless. However, the position is actually a fairly straightforward draw, since "White's King has such a powerful 7 7 active location that he can keep Black's King from penetrating 6 6 either side of the board." (Mednis 1990:96) Play might continue 5 5 1.Bh3+ Ke7 2.Bg2 Kf6 3.Bh3 Kg5 4.Bg2 Kf4 5.Kc4! Bd4 6.Kd3 Bg1 7.Bc6 Kg4 8.Bg2! Bf2 9.Kc4! Kf4 10.Kd3 Ke5 11.Kc4 , 4 4 when, "Clearly there is no way for Black to break the 3 3 blockade." (Mednis 1990:97) 2 2 1 1 a b c d e f g h White resigned in this drawn position Wrong rook pawn Main article: Wrong rook pawn If one of the two pawns is the wrong rook pawn (i.e. an a- or h- Alekhine vs. Ed. Lasker, 1924 pawn whose queening square is the opposite color from the squares a b c d e f g h on which the superior side's bishop moves), a fortress may allow the inferior side to draw irrespective of how far apart the two pawns 8 8 are. This is illustrated by Alekhine-Ed. Lasker, New York 1924. 7 7 (complete game) Three files separate Black's two extra pawns, but the players agreed to a draw after 52.Bb1 Kg7 53.Kg2. Alekhine 6 6 explained in the tournament book that White "can now sacrifice his 5 5 Bishop for the [d-pawn], inasmuch as the King has settled himself in the all-important corner" (Alekhine 1961:179 note jj). 4 4 3 3 If one of the pawns is the wrong rook pawn, it does not matter how widely-separated or how advanced the pawns are.