Minor-piece endings
In short
Bishops are better in open positions with pawns on both wings; knights are better in closed positions and when pawns are on one side. Opposite-coloured bishops tend to draw, unless one side has two widely separated passers.
By the end you can
- Know bishop vs knight basics
- Play same-colour bishop endings actively
The lesson
Bishops are better in open positions with pawns on both wings; knights are better in closed positions and when pawns are on one side. Opposite-coloured bishops tend to draw, unless one side has two widely separated passers.
In every minor-piece ending, the king is a fighting piece. Centralise it, fix enemy pawns on the colour of your bishop, and create a passed pawn on the side where you are stronger.
Key points to remember
- Bishop: open board, both wings
- Knight: closed board, one wing
- Opposite bishops: drawish
- Active king first
Examples
Show the solution
53. Kd5 Bxc6+ 54. Kxe5
Show the solution
61. Nxd5 g2 62. Kxg2
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: bishop endgame puzzles, knight endgame puzzles.
Homework
10 minor-piece endings from games in the Training tab.
More endgames lessons
- Mini-games: pawn wars and queen vs pawns (Foundation)
- Can the king catch the pawn? The rule of the square (Novice)
- King and pawn vs king: opposition (Class F)
- Passed pawns and promotion races (Class F)
- The Lucena position: building a bridge (Class E)
- The Philidor defence: holding rook endings (Class E)