CCLA Server Chess

Bishop and Pawn vs
Bishop Ending

by Arthur E. Holmer

Most introductory chess manuals evaluate the bishop and pawn vs bishop ending as generally drawn, citing that the bishop of the inferior side can usually be sacrificed for the pawn yielding an insufficient mating material situation. While this is certainly a possible outcome of many of these positions, we will explore some endings where a draw is not at all guaranteed. The following diagram is a typical example of the drawn type of ending that Mueller and Lamprecht in Fundamental Chess Endings⁵⁾ refer to as an "ironclad draw."

This diagram is given as Diagram No. 311 (Regence, 1856) on page 152 of Basic Chess Endings³. Fine notes “Black to play draws at once by 1. ... Kd8 and 2. ... Ke8. White to play seems to win with 1. e7, but Black has the ingenious rejoinder 1. ... Bd8!! and if 2. e8=Q (or R) stalemate, while 2. e8=N (or B) both lead to nothing.” However, there are endings where the game is not a straightforward draw and can be won by the superior side. Here is an interesting example:

This diagram is given as No. 3 on page 238 of the Dover Edition of Lasker’s Manual of Chess⁴. Lasker notes “The important points are obviously g7 and g8, which have to be gained so as to force the pawn ahead. The Black bishop will be forced off by the threat of exchange. Hence, 1. Kh7 Bd4 2. Bh6+ Ke1 3. Bg7 Bc5 4. Bb2 Bf8 5. Ba3 1-0.” (Note: the original text is in descriptive notation.)

To begin to understand whether these positions are drawn or not, we must first introduce Luigi Centurini, a relatively unknown figure in chess history. According to Wikipedia, “Centurini (Genoa, April 24, 1820 – Genoa, November 10, 1900) was an Italian jurist, chess player and chess composer.” Reuben Fine on page 152 of Basic Chess Endings³ comments “A great deal of work has been done with this endgame, notably by L. Centurini towards the end of the 19th century, and the results are exhaustive. Centurini summed up his investigations with the following two principles:
      1) The game is drawn when the Black king either is on or can occupy any square in front of the pawn from which it cannot be driven away by the bishop.
      2) If the king is behind the pawn and the White king near the pawn, then Black can draw only if his king is attacking the pawn and has the opposition and only if his bishop can maneuver on two diagonals on each of which it can occupy at least two squares.”

The first rule is easy enough to comprehend, but to understand the second, we need to consider a study composed by Centurini in 1856:

This diagram is given as No. 4.26 on page 108 of Fundamental Chess Endings⁵. Mueller and Lamprecht give the following line to illustrate the kings in vertical opposition and play on the two diagonals. “1. Be7 (to get to f6 and block the Black bishop) 1. ... Be3 2. Bf6 Bc5!!=. Black switches to the second diagonal to secure the draw.” Fine comments that if Black cannot either reach the critical opposition square or be able to play on the second diagonal, White will be able to promote. So it appears that the only ironclad draw in this type of ending is when the inferior side’s king can get to a square in front of the pawn and not controlled by the opposing bishop.

Let’s look at another famous example of the second rule.

This diagram is given both on page 213 of Just the Facts! Winning Endgame Knowledge in One Volume¹ and on page 224 of Chess for the Gifted and Busy²,from Taimanov-Fischer, Buenos Aires, 1960. Alburt notes “Black’s 1. ... Kf5 looks obvious, trying to get in the pawn’s way. But this can’t be accomplished. After 2. Kd5, b4-b5, and Kc6, White transfers his bishop to the a5-d8 diagonal and advances his b-pawn. Black’s king is shut out. So once again black needs to get vertical opposition from the bottom.”

The game continues from diagram No. 4:1. ... Kf4! 2. b5 Ke4 3. Bd4 Bc7 4. Kc5 Kd3 5. Kc6 Kc4! 6. Bb6 Bg3 7. Ba7 Bc7 draw.

One last example to show what happens when the inferior king cannot get near the pawn, another famous example of the second rule.

This diagram is given as No. 313 (Centurini) on page 153 of Basic Chess Endings³. Fine notes “If the Black king is not in front of the pawn and not near it, the win is fairly simple. In No. 313, where Black’s king is only two squares away. 1. Bc6 soon decides: 1. ... Be2 2. Bd5 Bb5 3. Be6 Ke3 4. Bd7 Bf1 5. c6 Kd4 6. c7 Ba6 7. Kc6 Kc3 8. Kb6 and the pawn promotes.”

Up to this point we have considered bishop and pawn vs bishop positions where the pawn is located on a central file. But what happens when the pawn is toward the edge of the board? The immediate consequence is the loss of available diagonals for the bishops. This has a significant effect on the play in these endings.

Here is an example of a rook pawn ending.

This diagram is given as No. 320 (Centurini) on page 155 of Basic Chess Endings³. Fine notes “No. 320 is the typical win with a rook pawn: 1. Bg7 Bd2 2. Bh6 Bb4 3. Be3 Bf8 4. Bd4 Kh4 5. Be5! Kg4 6. Bf6 Kf4 7. Bg7 Ba3 8. h6 and queens in two moves. It is essential to have the square in front of the pawn available for the bishop.”

Let’s look at a CCLA game with this type of ending.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. Bf4 Bb7 4. Nbd2 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Be2 O-O 7. O-O d6 8. h3 Nbd7 9. Bg5 d5 10. Re1 c5 11. c3 Ne4 12. Bh4 Re8 13. a4 Bf6 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Ng5 e6 16. Bb5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Bxd7 Red8 19. Bb5 e5 20. Re2 a6 21. Bc4 exd4 22. exd4 Rd7 23. Rd2 e3 24. fxe3 Qxe3+ 25. Rf2 cxd4 26. cxd4 Rad8 27. Ra3 Rxd4 28. Bxf7+ Kg7 29. Rxe3 Rxd1+ 30. Kh2 R1d2 31. Rxd2 Rxd2 32. Re7 Bxg2 33. Bc4+ Kh6 34. Re2 Rxe2 35. Bxe2 Bc6 36. a5 bxa5 37. Bxa6 Kg5 38. Kg3 Bd5 39. h4+ Kf5 40. Bd3+ Be4 41. Be2 h6 42. Bg4+ Ke5 43. Be2 g5 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. Kg4 Kd4 46. Kxg5 Bd3 47. Bf3 Bc2 48. Bh5 Kc4 49. Bf7+ Kd3 50. Kf4 Kd2 51. Bd5 Kc1 52. b3 Kb2 53. Bc6 Kxb3 1/2-1/2

At first glance this position looks winning for Black as it appears the Black bishop can maneuver to block the White bishop from attacking the Black pawn. If you check this position with a Nalimov tablebase, you will find White has ten moves to draw and seven moves that lose the game. The problem that Black has with trying to block the White bishop is there are not enough diagonals to use and the current position requires time to set up a block. White will use this time to head for a square in front of the pawn, as given in Centurini’s first rule. A sample line is: 1. Ke3 Kb4 2. Kd2 Bb3 3. Kc1 Bc4 4. Kb1 Bb5 5.Bd5 a4 6. Ka1 draw.

This position should look familiar by now. It is one of those ironclad draws.