Editing Chess endgame (section)

===Bishop and pawn endings===
{{Chess diagram  
|tright
|Molnar vs. Nagy, 1966
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |kd|bd|  |pd
|  |  |pd|  |  |  |pd|pl
|  |pd|pl|  |pl|  |pl|  
|  |pl|  |  |  |kl|  |  
|  |bl|  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|White to move. White has a ''good bishop'', Black has a ''bad'' one.}}

[[Bishop (chess)|Bishop]] and pawn endgames come in two distinctly different variants. If the opposing bishops go on the same color of square, the mobility of the bishops is a crucial factor. A ''{{chessgloss|bad bishop}}'' is one that is hemmed in by pawns of its own color, and has the burden of defending them.

The adjacent diagram, from Molnar–Nagy, Hungary 1966, illustrates the concepts of good bishop versus bad bishop, opposition, [[zugzwang]], and outside passed pawn. White wins with '''1. e6!''' (vacating e5 for his king) '''1... Bxe6 2. Bc2!''' (threatening Bxg6) '''2... Bf7 3. Be4!''' (threatening Bxc6) '''3... Be8 4. Ke5!''' (seizing the opposition [i.e. the kings are two orthogonal squares apart, with the other player on move] and placing Black in zugzwang—he must either move his king, allowing White's king to penetrate, or his bishop, allowing a decisive incursion by White's bishop) '''4... Bd7 5. Bxg6!'''
{{clear}}

====Bishop and pawn versus bishop on the same color====
{| align="right" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0"
|-valign="top"
|
{{Chess diagram small
|tright
|Centurini
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |kl|  
|  |  |  |  |  |pl|  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |kd|bd
|  |  |bl|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|Draw
}}
|
{{Chess diagram small
|tright
|Centurini, 1856
|  |  |kl|bl|  |  |  |  
|  |pl|  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |kd|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |bd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|Centurini showed how White to move wins.  White also wins if Black is to move.<ref>{{Harvcol|Müller|Lamprecht|2001|p=13}}</ref>
}}
|}
Two rules given by [[Luigi Centurini]] in the 19th century apply:
* The game is a draw if the defending king can reach any square in front of the pawn that is opposite in color to the squares the bishops travel on.
* If the defending king is behind the pawn and the attacking king is near the pawn, the defender can draw only if his king is attacking the pawn, he has the opposition, and his bishop can move on two diagonals that each have at least two squares available (other than the square it is on).<ref>{{Harvcol|Fine|Benko|2003|p=152}}</ref> This is the case for {{chessgloss|center pawn|central pawns}} and the {{chessgloss|bishop pawn}} whose promotion square is not the same color as the bishop.<ref>{{Harvcol|Fine|Benko|2003|p=154}}</ref>

The position in the second diagram shows a winning position for White, although it requires accurate play. A {{chessgloss|knight pawn}} always wins if the defending bishop only has one long diagonal available.<ref>{{Harvcol|Fine|Benko|2003|pp=155–56}}</ref>
{{clear}}

{{Chess diagram  
|tright
|Portisch vs. Tal, 1965
|  |  |  |kd|  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|kl|  |  |  |  |  |pd|  
|bl|  |bd|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|Position before 67.Bd5
}}
This position was reached in a game from the 1965 [[Candidates Tournament]] between [[Lajos Portisch]] and former [[World Chess Champion|World Champion]] [[Mikhail Tal]].<ref>[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1113167 Portisch vs. Tal]</ref> White must defend accurately and utilize [[Zugzwang#Reciprocal zugzwang|reciprocal zugzwang]]. Often he has only one or two moves that avoid a losing position. Black was unable to make any progress and the game was drawn on move 83.<ref>{{Harvcol|Nunn|1995|p=169}}</ref>
{{clear}}

====Bishops on opposite colors====
{{main|Opposite-colored bishops endgame}}
{{Chess diagram  
|tright
|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |kd|  |bd|  |  |  
|  |  |pl|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |kl|pl|  |  |bl
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|White to play, a draw.  White wins if the pawn is on f5 instead of e5.<ref>{{Harvcol|Fine|Benko|2003|pp=184–92}}</ref>
}}
Endings with ''bishops of opposite color'', meaning that one bishop works on the light squares, the other one working on dark squares, are notorious for their {{chessgloss|drawish}} character. Many players in a poor position have saved themselves from a loss by trading down to such an endgame. They are often drawn even when one side has a two-pawn advantage, since the weaker side can create a blockade on the squares on which his bishop operates. The weaker side should often try to make their bishop ''{{chessgloss|bad bishop|bad}}'' by placing their pawns on the same color of their bishop in order to defend their remaining pawns, thereby creating an impregnable [[fortress (chess)|fortress]].
{{clear}}