The Wrong-Colored Bishop
EndgamePawn EndgamesGoal: draw
The position
| ♗ | |||||||
| ♙ | |||||||
| ♔ | |||||||
| ♚ |
Black to move and hold the draw. A draw is a good result here, and knowing the defensive method saves half points.
The idea
The wrong-coloured bishop is a famous drawing trick. If you have a bishop and a rook pawn, but your bishop cannot control the corner square where the pawn would promote, the defending king can hide in that corner and the game is a draw.
How to do it
- Find the promotion square of the rook pawn, in the corner.
- Check the colour of that corner square. If your bishop is the other colour, it is the wrong bishop.
- As the defender, put your king in the corner (or next to it) and move back and forth.
- As the attacker, you cannot win unless you can drive the king out. If the bishop was the right colour, it controls the corner and you win.
Common mistakes
- Thinking an extra bishop always wins.
- Pushing the pawn to the seventh rank and giving stalemate.
- As the defender, leaving the corner.
Remember
A rook pawn and the wrong-coloured bishop is a draw if the defender's king reaches the corner.