Bishop and pawn fortress with opposite-coloured bishops
This is a White-to-move Minor piece endings endgame study. With best play, the result is draw; the solution runs 10 half-moves.
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Bishop and pawn fortress with opposite-coloured bishops is a Minor piece endings endgame study from the Climbchess curated set of 80 positions. When opposite-coloured bishops control different squares, a fortress can form. Black's bishop cannot stop White's pawn, but White cannot break through—the result is a draw.
Position: White to move. Result with best play: draw. Solution length: 10 half-moves.
FEN: 1b4k1/6B1/6p1/3p4/8/2KP2P1/8/8 w - - 0 1
Solving guide (move by move)
Show step-by-step solution
Try the position yourself first — endgame technique compounds when you struggle through the calculation before peeking.
- White:
g7h6 - Black:
g8f7 - White:
g3g4 - Black:
f7e6 - White:
c3d2 - Black:
e6f6 - White:
d2e3 - Black:
b8e5 - White:
d3d4 - Black:
e5d6
About Minor piece endings
K+B+N mate, two bishops, opposite-coloured fortress, knight outposts.
Related endgames
Underlying chess concepts
Endgame technique reduces to a small number of recurring patterns: opposition, key squares, zugzwang, fortress, breakthrough. Climbchess catalogues 4,505 interpretable patterns extracted from Leela Chess Zero via sparse autoencoders. Browse the methodology or jump straight into the trainer to attempt this exact position interactively.
Frequently asked
Is this position a win, draw or loss?
With best play: draw. White moves first.
What is the key idea?
When opposite-coloured bishops control different squares, a fortress can form. Black's bishop cannot stop White's pawn, but White cannot break through—the result is a draw.
How long is the solution?
10 half-moves (5 full moves) of forced or near-forced play.
Where can I practise it?
Open the Climbchess trainer using the deep-link button — the position loads pre-set so you can play it out against the engine.