Category: Bishop versus Pawns

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B-500A

GM Vlatko Kovacevic234

  When the bishop is deployed in such a way that one of its diagonals intersects both pawns’ routes, we have “absolute blockade”. In absolute blockade pawns cannot make any progress on their own since the sacrifice 1.d6? Bxd6 would be pointless as it does not clear the path to the other pawn. Absolute blockade […]

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B-499

GM Vlatko Kovacevic252

  In the battle against separated pawns bishop is much more efficient than knight since very often it can simultaneously control the routes of two very far-advanced pawns. Nevertheless, very much like knight, it can find itself in an unenviable situation, i.e. when it has achieved only a relative blockade. Just to remind you, relative […]

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B-494

GM Vlatko Kovacevic237

  Like knight, bishop can also easily immobilize the connected enemy pawns on the fifth rank and even more efficiently. The following example is a case in point. Although the white king is much closer to the pawns and can support the pawns on their path to the promotion square, Black to play draws by […]

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B-488

GM Vlatko Kovacevic229

  The only critical case i.e. when the bishop on the shorter defensive diagonal has only two squares available is shown in the following diagram. The black bishop has not yet reached the safer, longer defensive diagonal, whilst White is threatening to penetrate on b7 and drive away the bishop from the shorter diagonal and […]

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B-487

GM Vlatko Kovacevic241

  4.2. Bishop versus Pawn Since bishop is unable to construct a forced mating net even in positions with a rook’s pawn, in endings of king and bishop against king and one or more pawns, a drawing possibility must be found, i.e. a way how to stop by a sole bishop or in conjunction with […]

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