Wrong bishop
Encyclopedia
The wrong bishop is a situation in chess
endgame when a bishop
on the other color of square of the chessboard
would either win a game instead of draw
or salvage a draw from an inferior position . This most commonly occurs with a bishop and one of its rook pawns but it also occurs with a rook
versus a bishop, a rook and one rook pawn versus a bishop, and possibly with a rook and one bishop pawn versus a bishop.
in the corner (i.e. with the black king
on the h8 square and the bishop on the g8 or h7 square). White wins:
square of the pawn. This position is a draw with either side to move. Black simply keeps his king on the a8, a7, or b8 squares (or b7 if the pawn advances) to keep the pawn from promoting. A draw because of stalemate
is also possible. If the bishop were on the other color it could force the black king
out of the corner and the pawn could promote and win .
and a rook pawn always win against the wrong bishop, as in this position. The defender has the wrong bishop if it is the one on the same color as the pawn's promotion square. The winning procedure is to give up the pawn
at the right time to get to a winning rook versus bishop endgame. If the bishop was on the other color, the defender may be able to form a fortress in the corner, as mentioned above .
and there is no way for White to make progress . This type of position was studied by Ercole del Rio
around 1750 , . This case is similar to the case with a rook pawn (above), which also may be a draw.
and World Champion
Mikhail Botvinnik
, Black was defending two pawns down – a position that would normally be a win for White. Botvinnik saw an opportunity to exchange his rook for a knight and two pawns and reach a drawn position (even without his pawn). The game continued:
and reached the second position, which had been analyzed as a draw.
White was not able to make any progress. He promoted his pawn on move 76 and it was immediately captured by Black, resulting in a rook versus bishop endgame (see pawnless chess endings#Common pawnless endings (rook and minor pieces)) that was drawn two moves later .
In this game between Igor Miladinović
and Alexander Beliavsky
, Black could have won by 99... Rxf3+, but instead played 99... gxf3?, reaching the theoretically-drawn position.
The game was drawn on move 127 .
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
endgame when a bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
on the other color of square of the chessboard
Chessboard
A chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
would either win a game instead of draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
or salvage a draw from an inferior position . This most commonly occurs with a bishop and one of its rook pawns but it also occurs with a rook
Rook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
versus a bishop, a rook and one rook pawn versus a bishop, and possibly with a rook and one bishop pawn versus a bishop.
Rook versus bishop
White wins in this position. The defender has the wrong bishop if it is on the same color as the corner where his king is confined. Black's bishop is on the wrong color of square for it to form a fortressFortress (chess)
In chess, the fortress is an endgame drawing technique in which the side behind in material sets up a zone of protection around their king that cannot be penetrated by the opponent. This only works when the opponent does not have a passed pawn or cannot create one, unless that pawn can be stopped...
in the corner (i.e. with the black king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
on the h8 square and the bishop on the g8 or h7 square). White wins:
- 1. Kf5! Kg8
- 2. Ra4!! The only way to win. If 2. Kg6? Kf8 and the black king is able to get out of the "dangerous corner" or "wrong corner" and head to a "safe corner" or "right corner" where he can set up the fortress.
- 2... Be1
- 3. Kg6 Kf8
- 4. Rf4+!, followed by 5. Re4, winning .
Rook pawn
There are some situations involving a rook pawn and the wrong bishop.Bishop and rook pawn
In an endgame with a bishop and a rook pawn, the wrong bishop is one that does not control the promotionPromotion (chess)
Promotion is a chess rule describing the transformation of a pawn that reaches its eighth rank into the player's choice of a queen, knight, rook, or bishop of the same color . The new piece replaces the pawn on the same square and is part of the move. Promotion is not limited to pieces that have...
square of the pawn. This position is a draw with either side to move. Black simply keeps his king on the a8, a7, or b8 squares (or b7 if the pawn advances) to keep the pawn from promoting. A draw because of stalemate
Stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
is also possible. If the bishop were on the other color it could force the black king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
out of the corner and the pawn could promote and win .
Rook and rook pawn versus bishop
A rookRook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
and a rook pawn always win against the wrong bishop, as in this position. The defender has the wrong bishop if it is the one on the same color as the pawn's promotion square. The winning procedure is to give up the pawn
Pawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
at the right time to get to a winning rook versus bishop endgame. If the bishop was on the other color, the defender may be able to form a fortress in the corner, as mentioned above .
Rook and bishop pawn versus bishop
With a rook and a bishop pawn on the sixth rank versus a bishop, the bishop may be on the right color or the wrong color. In one case the rook and pawn win; in the other the bishop is able to draw. In this position Black is able to draw because his bishop is on the right color:- 1... Be2
- 2. Kf4 Bc4
- 3. Kg5 Bd5!
- 4. Rc7 Ba2!
- 5. Kg6 Bb1+!
- 6. Kh6 Ba2!
- 7. Ra7 Bc4
and there is no way for White to make progress . This type of position was studied by Ercole del Rio
Ercole del Rio
Domenico Ercole del Rio was an Italian lawyer and author. He published an 110-page chess book in 1750 which was the basis of a work by Giambattista Lolli thirteen years later. He composed many chess problems. He was one of the Modenese Masters.-References:...
around 1750 , . This case is similar to the case with a rook pawn (above), which also may be a draw.
Examples from games
In this 1952 game between László SzabóLászló Szabó (chess player)
László Szabó was a prominent Hungarian Grandmaster of chess.Born in Budapest, he burst onto the international chess scene in 1935, at the unusually young age of 18...
and World Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
, Black was defending two pawns down – a position that would normally be a win for White. Botvinnik saw an opportunity to exchange his rook for a knight and two pawns and reach a drawn position (even without his pawn). The game continued:
- 51... Rxa5!
- 52. Nd7+ Bxd7
- 53. Rxa5 Bxg4
- 54. Ke3 Be6
- 55. Kf4 Bc4
- 56. Ra7 h5
- 57. Kg5 h4
- 58. Kxh4 Bb3
- 59. Kg5 Bc4
and reached the second position, which had been analyzed as a draw.
White was not able to make any progress. He promoted his pawn on move 76 and it was immediately captured by Black, resulting in a rook versus bishop endgame (see pawnless chess endings#Common pawnless endings (rook and minor pieces)) that was drawn two moves later .
In this game between Igor Miladinović
Igor Miladinovic
Igor Miladinović is a Serbian chess grandmaster. On the November 2009 FIDE list his Elo rating was 2553.Miladinović won the 1993 World Junior Chess Championship and at the end of the year was declared for the athlete of the Year in Yugoslavia. In 1994 he played for Yugoslavia in the Moscow...
and Alexander Beliavsky
Alexander Beliavsky
-External links:...
, Black could have won by 99... Rxf3+, but instead played 99... gxf3?, reaching the theoretically-drawn position.
- 99... gxf3?
- 100. Bc5 Ke4
- 101. Kf2 Rc3
- 102. Ba7 Rc7
- 103. Bb6 Rc2+
- 104. Kf1 Rc6 (if 104... f2 then 105. Kg2! draws)
- 105. Ba7 Ra6
- 106. Bc5 Kf4
- 107. Bd4 Ra4
- 108. Bc5 Rc4
- 109. Ba7 Rb4
- 110. Bc5
The game was drawn on move 127 .