Opposite-Coloured Bishops — the Draw
The great drawing endgame — even a pawn or two down, the defender holds by blockading on squares the enemy bishop can never touch. Sit on the right colour and hold.
What you'll learn
- Why opposite-coloured bishops are chess's great drawing weapon
- Building a blockade on squares the enemy bishop can never touch
- Sitting on the safe colour to hold material down
The technique, move by move
Every line below is verified against an endgame tablebase — perfect play, no guesswork.
Blockade on the safe colour
1...Bxe4 1.Bc1 Bb1 2.Bb2 Ba2 3.Bxe5 Kxe5
Opposite-coloured bishops are chess's great drawing force. Black snatches the pawn and heads for a blockade.
Blockade (d-file)
1...Bxd4 1.Ke2 Kc5 2.Kf3 Ba1 3.Kg4 Kd4 4.Kh5 Ke3 5.Kh6 Kf4 6.Kh7 …
Blockade (e-file)
1...Bxe4 1.Ke2 Kf5 2.Ke3 Bb1 3.Kf3 e4+ 4.Kg3 e3 5.Kh3 exf2 6.Kg2 …
Blockade (c-file)
1...Bxc4 1.Kd2 Kb5 2.Ke3 Bf1 3.Kf4 Kc4 4.Kg5 Kd3 5.Kh6 Ke3 6.Kh7 …
Drill the Opposite-Coloured Bishops — the Draw
Practice randomly served positions and play them out against a perfect tablebase until you hold the draw every time.
Open the Endgame Trainer →Related endgames to master
The first checkmate every player must own. Use the rook to cut the king off and walk your own king up to force the lone king to the edge.
King & Queen vs KingBox the lone king toward a corner with the queen a knight's-move away — and never stalemate. The fastest of the basic mates once the technique clicks.
Two Bishops vs KingCoordinate the bishops into a wall and herd the king to a corner. Trickier than it looks and a classic test of piece harmony.
Bishop & Knight MateThe hardest basic mate — the king can only be mated in a corner matching the bishop's colour. Learn the W-manoeuvre and the 50-move clock stops scaring you.