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

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.