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Opposite-coloured bishops: blockading two passers

In opposite-coloured bishop endings the defending side often holds the draw even against two extra passers: the bishop plants itself in front of one pawn on a square of its own colour while the king guards the other.

Here White has the king on e4, the bishop on b7 and two passers on a6 and d5; Black has the king on d6 and the bishop on a7. White to move, and it is a draw (per the tablebases): Black blockades both pawns and neither can advance.

The lesson: for two passers to win with opposite-coloured bishops they have to be far enough apart that king and bishop cannot stop both. Here they are not - the blockade holds.

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How to hold two passers

  1. 1Decide which pawn the bishop holds and which the king.
  2. 2Leave the bishop the pawn on the diagonal it controls from a distance.
  3. 3Put the king in front of the second pawn, on a square the opponent's bishop cannot reach.
  4. 4Do not rearrange things unnecessarily - the opponent is waiting for exactly that.

Common mistakes

  • Swapping the pieces' roles and giving the bishop the pawn of the wrong colour.
  • Retreating the king behind the opponent's pawn instead of standing in front of it.
  • Agreeing to trade bishops and going into a lost pawn ending.

Common questions

Can two passers be held with opposite-coloured bishops?

Often yes: the king blockades one and the bishop the other along its diagonal. The essential thing is that the pawns are not on squares of the opponent's bishop's colour.

What is critical for the defence?

The right division of roles, and staying still: any shuffling of the pieces can open a road for a pawn.

When does the defence collapse?

When the pawns are far apart and both can advance - then there are not enough pieces to go round.

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