Bishop Endings: A Comprehensive Guide for Chess Players

Bishop Endgame Resources:
 A Comprehensive Guide

Mastering bishop endgames is crucial for chess improvement. This guide provides a curated list of resources to help you excel in these key situations.
 

Wikipedia Articles
Opposite Colored Bishop Endgame - Rather large Wikipedia page on this topic
Wrong bishop - Page Dedicated to this one topic

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Bishop Endgame Articles

Bishop Endgame Strategies: Dominate the endgame with expert bishop tactics, techniques, and winning concepts.

Understanding Bishop Endgames:

• How to use the Bishop - 6 Page Article about Bishops with some Endgame Info Also.
  
  
• Materialism , Opposite Colored Bishops, and Kasparovs Theorem - Chess.com Article by GM Vbhat - Analyze a game showcasing the complexities of material vs. opposite-colored bishops.
  
  
• Bishop Endgames - Exeter Chess Club Page (Comprehensive Guide): Deep dive into various bishop endgames, including in-depth articles and studies.
  
  
• Double Bishop Endgames - Exeter Chess Club - (Specialized Guide): Explore complexities and strategies specific to double bishop endgames.
  
  

Bishop Endgame Strategies:

• The Chess World: Chess Fortress   -(FM Yuriy Krykun): Learn the surprising concept of sacrificing material to build a winning "fortress" in specific Bishop endgames.
  
  
• The Chess World: Bishop Endgames with Karpov   - (WGM Raluca Sgîrcea & IM Renier Castellanos): Analyze endgames featuring the legendary Karpov's bishop mastery (4 example games).
  
  
• The Chess World: Rook vs. Bishop Endgame   -(Yury Markushin): Gain valuable tactics and techniques for drawing rook vs. bishop endgames.
  
  
• The Chess World: Opposite Colored Bishops Endgame   - (Yury Markushin): Master key concepts and strategies for opposite-colored bishop endgames.
  
  

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LICHESS Bishop Endgame Studies

Sharpen your bishop skills with these Lichess studies!

• Bishop And Pawn Endgames  - 25 Chapter Study - Master fundamental bishop and pawn endgames in this comprehensive study (rated highly with 106 hearts).
  
  
• Bishop endgames  19 Chapter Interactive Study - Put your skills to the test by playing against the computer in various bishop endgame scenarios (includes lessons).
  
  
• same-coloured bishop endgames  - 2 Chapter Study
  
  
• Endgames 3 (Opposite colored bishop) - 10 Chapter Study - Well Done study with nice Lessons
  
  
• Practice: Bishop And Pawn Endgames:  - 25 Chapter Interactive Study - Great Group of Positions to play against the computer.
  
  
• Bishop Pair Endgames  - 15 Chapter Study  (15 Really Nice Annotated Games)

New to Lichess studies? These interactive tools allow you to explore chess concepts and variations move-by-move, perfect for testing your understanding and deepening your knowledge.

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Bishop Endgame Video Lessons

a) Bishop Endings General

Master essential bishop endgame concepts with these video lessons:

Bishop Endgames - GM Varuzhan Akobian - 54 Min - Grandmaster Var Akobian takes us through opposite-colored and like-colored Bishop endgames. Turn an apparent drawn position into a winning one. Hold an apparent lost position to a draw. Not everything you've heard about Bishop endgames is true. Also, learn the benefits of triangulation.

Force that Bishop to the Short Diagonal! - 24 Min GM Akobian - Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian explores bishop endgames. Evaluate opposite-colored bishop positions. When the bishops are on the same color, learn to bully a bishop from a long diagonal to a short one to promote a pawn.

Checkmate with 2 Bishop - 10 min Video - This video illustrates how to checkmate with two bishops. I provide a systematic approach to solving this unlikely chess ending.

Bishop and Pawn vs Same colored Bishop - 10 min Video - I show an endgame discussed in Aron Nimzovitch's 'My System' in which a Bishop is able to display a number of tricky maneuvers to ultimately win control of the Queening Square.

The 5 Bishop Endgames All ChessKids Must Know! - 15 Min

Bishop Endgames Crash Course - Bishop And Pawn Endings Fundamentals - 11 Min - Learn fundamental bishop and pawn endgames: winning tactics, basic concepts, and key ideas for beginners and intermediate players

How to win Bishop and pawn Endgames with the 2 Weaknesses Principle! - 10 Min - Robert Plunketts Chess Lab - (New 5/29/24)

b) Same Color Bishop Endgames

Demystify the challenges and opportunities of same-colored bishop endgames:

 

• GM Magesh Panchanathan: Same Color Bishop Endgames | U.S. Chess School - 61 Min - discussing key concepts, strategies, and common mistakes. He emphasizes the importance of understanding which diagonal the bishop should be on and how to manipulate it to achieve a winning position or secure a draw. 
  
  
• Same-Color Bishop Endgames | Endgame Exclam!! - GM Cristian Chirila  - 43 Min - presents an advanced lecture on the conversion and defense of endgames where each side has a bishop on like-colored squares.
• Same-Color Bishop Endgames, with NM Spencer Finegold - 54 Min - w/ analysis of 4 top level Games.

c) Opposite Color Bishop Endgames

Not all opposite-colored bishop endgames are draws! Explore winning techniques and essential strategies:

• GM Neiksans Boot Camp #15 - Opposite Color Bishop Endgames  - (Almost 2 Hr ) -GM Neiksans explores winning techniques in opposite-colored bishop endgames
  
  
• The Opposite Color Bishops | Endgame Class - NM Caleb Denby - 58 min - National Master Caleb Denby looks at opposite color bishop endgames. Start with the "bare bones" of the situation and then work up with more pawns being added to the board.
• Opposite Colored Bishops Endgames | Endgame Strategy | Intermediate Level | IM Andrey Ostrovskiy  - 16 Min -  IM Andrey Ostrovskiy will teach you the basic theory of opposite colored bishop endgames.
• How to Win the Opposite-colored Bishop Endgames? - 20 Min - Remote Chess Academy -  IM Asaf Givon has prepared a very instructive video lesson for you on a tricky topic – Opposite-colored Bishop Endgames! In this lesson, he will teach you how to win and defend in such endgames with the instructive examples - games of Mikhail Tal, Paul Keres, Veselin Topalov, Ding Liren, and more.
• Opposite Color Bishops: Know the Rules | Insane in the Endgame - GM Josh Friedel - 60 min - Learn the "rules" of opposite color bishop games.
• Opposite-Color Bishop Endgames | Grandmaster's Choice - GM Dariusz Swiercz - 50 Min - Grandmaster Daro Swiercz looks at chess games where opposite-color bishop endgames occurred. Usually, these types lead to draws. However, that is not always the case. See different scenarios where the pawn structure made the difference.
• Key Tips for Endgames w/ Opposite Colored Bishops | Dojo Lessons  - 24 min  Chess Dojo - The video provides an in-depth analysis of a chess game focusing on the endgame with opposite-colored bishops. It discusses strategic moves, tactical errors, and principles for winning such endgames.
  
  
• IM Kassa Korley: Opposite Colored Bishop Endgames | US Chess School - 56 Min - IM Kassa Korley delivers a lecture on opposite colored bishop endgames w/ 6 Example games.