Vibe ChessVibe Chess

Same-coloured bishops: converting the extra pawn

With same-coloured bishops an extra pawn wins far more often than with opposite ones: the defending bishop cannot blockade the passer reliably, since both bishops travel on squares of the same colour and can be traded.

Here White has the king on a7, the bishop on f5 and an extra pawn on b6; Black has the king on a5 and the bishop on f3. White to move, and the position is won (per the tablebases): White escorts the b-pawn home, covering it with bishop and king.

The lesson: when judging bishop endings, look at the colour of the bishops first. With same-coloured ones an extra pawn usually decides; with opposite-coloured ones, often not.

87654321
abcdefgh

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.

Side to move
Castling
More
FEN of the position
Load FEN
Named mates and combinations

The pieces will be arranged into the chosen pattern.

Puzzles: mate in one

It is the mating side to move. Find mate in one.

Popular positions

Openings, endgame positions and breakthrough studies - the set-up appears on the board.

How to convert the extra pawn

  1. 1Advance the pawn onto a square colour the opponent's bishop cannot reach.
  2. 2Aim to force the bishop off the key diagonal with tempo-gaining blows.
  3. 3Bring the king up - without it the opponent's bishop holds the defence easily.
  4. 4Look for zugzwang: with same-coloured bishops it is the main winning tool.

Common mistakes

  • Pushing the pawn onto a square where the opponent's bishop brakes it.
  • Trading bishops without checking the pawn ending.
  • Playing with no plan for improving: an extra pawn does not get through by itself.

Common questions

How do you win a pawn up with same-coloured bishops?

Force the opponent's bishop off the diagonal of the queening square, bring the king up and put the opponent in zugzwang.

What is zugzwang here?

A position where any move the opponent makes worsens their position: the bishop has to leave the diagonal, or the king to step away from the pawn.

Does the extra pawn always win?

No. If the bishop has taken the right diagonal and the king blockades the pawn, the position is drawn.

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.

The tournament app

A tournament without a paper crosstable

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.

Swiss

many players, one evening: four or five rounds are enough

Round robin

the fairest format for six to ten players

Free meetup

not a tournament, just an evening of chess - who is free and who is playing is visible in the app

How the tournament runs
  1. 1Set up the event: date, venue, time control
  2. 2Send the link - players register themselves
  3. 3Pair each round with one tap and enter the results
  4. 4Standings and the TRF export are produced automatically

Fancy the next chess evening?

Sign up to the Vibe Chess bot on Telegram - it carries the schedule of meetups and chess events across the cities we run in.