Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames
Everyone’s had the unfortunate experience of playing an opposite-colored bishop ending. Like a mirage, you never know how they got there, and you definitely didn’t intend on it. Nevertheless, they have arrived. These mirages don’t go away.
This series is designed to explore the principles of opposite-colored bishop endgames. Targeting diagonals, helper pieces, and common drawing patterns are just some of the topics we’ll explore.
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Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames: Basic Knowledge GM Dejan Bojkov begins a series on opposite-colored bishop endings, showing two examples where titled players misplayed the defensive method. The drawing technique is shown, but Bojkov also shows how to play for a win once your pawns get far enough advanced. Don't throw away a half point like these masters did - knowing the proper setup is simple and will save you!
Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames: With Queens The queen joins the dance floor today, replacing the rook but again choosing the bishop as her partner. Turns out she has even more moves than her predecessors. GM Dejan Bojkov shows why the combo of queen and opposite-colored bishop can be lethal in the right hands. Then GM Yasser Seirawan struts his stuff twice, once beating a helpless Mikhail Tal.
Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames: With Rooks GM Bojkov is here with your daily prescription: take three beautiful endgame wins and call him in the morning. A trio of perfectly executed rook and bishop endings show that mate is possible even in the endgame. The extra half-points are like low hanging fruit for the experienced endgame player. Watch and learn how to convert with rook and opposite colored bishop - you'll have that peace of mind you've always wanted.
Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames: The Principle Of The One Diagonal Want to see a Super-GM resign in a drawn position? It happens from time to time, and today it happens on Chess.com. Expanding his incisive series on opposite-colored bishop endings, Bojkov examines a handful of positions in which your bishop must maintain control of the enemy pawns, while assisting your pawns from the same square. GM Etienne Bacrot learned this lesson the hard way: "le principe d'une diagonale." Bonne chance, viewers!
Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames: Quantity vs Quality More opposite-colored bishop endgames are examined, but this time, some surprising sacrifices are needed to get the job done. Expanding on his comprehensive series, Bojkov assumes you have mastered the basics. This time he challenges you with much more difficult examples. He stresses the quality of the passed pawns, not the quantity. Watch and see what he means!
Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames: Drawing Tendencies Our Bulgarian grandmaster treats us to even more complicated examples of defending opposite-colored bishop endgames. When several passed pawns are breathing down your throat, do you have the knowledge to restrain them and hold the fort? You'll learn the principle of one diagonal and the usefulness of certain stalemate traps. Watch closely; there's a quiz at the end!
Opposite-Colored Bishop Endgames: Separated Pawns Bojkov ramps up the theory on opposite-colored bishop endgames. Having already tackled positions where the pawns are together, here he shows several winning and drawing examples where the two passed pawns are separated. The distance between the passers is the salient factor that distinguishes divides the result from a half-point and a full-point. Watch and learn how far apart they have to be to eek out a victory!
