Rethinking an Endgame Idea

Lately I have been working through Jonathan Hawkins’ excellent book From Amateur to IM which discusses how through learning certain endings very well the author went from around 2000 to an IM.  He’s now a strong GM so improvement has continued to this day.

In one of the chapters he gives this position:

Here he invites the reader to place a black bishop anywhere you’d like on the board.  If you’re like me you probably were immediately drawn to the d4 square.

After all, doesn’t that look strong?  The bishop and the pawn protecting one another…surely that’s the best setup possible, right?

Well, as it turns out, no.  With the bishop on the same color square as the pawn the plan for White becomes to maneuver until you can exchange the rook for the bishop and pawn and transition into a won king and pawn ending.

When the bishop is on the color other than the pawn then the bishop and the pawn complement one another by attacking different color squares and it becomes possible to hold.

I invite the reader to try it for themselves with these two positions against an engine or a friend.

Loss

Draw

Now if faced with a position such as this you would know what to play if you had this position.

If you were White and it was your move you’d know to play d4.  If you were Black and it were your move you’d know that you would need to get …d4 in so you’d play …Kc5 in order to be able to make …d4 unstoppable.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

If you like this blog, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter.  Any money I raise will go towards lessons and stronger tournaments.

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter.  Even $1 a month can help me achieve my dream.

6 thoughts on “Rethinking an Endgame Idea”

  1. Thanks to Chicago Area Iconic Master Frederick Rhine for his amazing contributions to this discussion!!

    Does the highly estimable “Master” Rhine have the above mentioned Endgame book?

    And if so, what does he think about it?

  2. I have the book, but like most of my thousands of chess books I’ve barely looked at it.

Comments are closed.