Opposite-coloured bishops are famous for being drawish, but not always: if the stronger side has two passers on files far enough apart, the defending bishop and king lack the resources to stop both - and one of them goes through.
Here White has the king on e4, the bishop on d7 and passers on c6 and f3; Black has the king on c7 and the bishop on g5. White to move, and the position is won (per the tablebases): the pawns are placed so that Black cannot organise a blockade in time.
A rule of thumb: with opposite-coloured bishops two connected or nearby passers are often a draw, but passers split between the wings are a genuine win. The distance between the pawns matters more than their number.
Drag a piece onto the board, or click a piece and then click the squares. The cross beside the pieces sweeps every piece of that colour off the board, and a single piece can be dragged off the edge.
The pieces will be arranged into the chosen pattern.
It is the mating side to move. Find mate in one.
Openings, endgame positions and breakthrough studies - the set-up appears on the board.
When the passed pawns are split between the wings and stand on squares of your own bishop's colour: the opponent cannot hold both directions.
It is not the number that counts but the distance between them. Two widely separated passers are stronger than three pawns side by side.
Yes, it settles the outcome: the bishop holds one side while the king and pawns break the defence on the other.
Build your own position in the board editor, read up on the rules of chess or run a tournament on your own positions in the free app.
Everything people usually keep in a spreadsheet is already in the app: pairings, points, tie-breaks, round order. Free, with no subscriptions and no cap on the number of players.
many players, one evening: four or five rounds are enough
the fairest format for six to ten players
not a tournament, just an evening of chess - who is free and who is playing is visible in the app
Sign up to the Vibe Chess bot on Telegram - it carries the schedule of meetups and chess events across the cities we run in.
