Skybound Chess
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Minor Piece Endgames

Bishop against knight, the bishop pair, opposite-coloured bishops, the wrong bishop, and why a knight ending is really a pawn ending in slow motion.

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  1. 1Bishop beats knight — open boardStart hereWith pawns on both wings and open lines, the bishop reaches everywhere at once and the knight can't keep up.→
  2. 2Knight beats a bad bishopWhen the enemy pawns are frozen on the bishop's colour, the bishop is a spectator — the knight hops in and eats them.→
  3. 3The bishop pairTwo bishops build a fence the enemy king can't cross — push your passer safely behind it.→
  4. 4Opposite bishops favour the attackerIn the middlegame, the bishop that has no counterpart is a free attacker on its colour.→
  5. 5The wrong bishopBishop and a rook's pawn is only a win if the bishop controls the queening square. If it can't, run to the corner and draw.→
  6. 6Restrict the knightA bishop beats a knight by taking its squares away one at a time until it's stuck on the rim.→
  7. 7Knight endings are pawn endingsJudge them by the same rules as king-and-pawn endings — passed pawns, king activity, the outside passer — just slower.→
  8. 8A knight can't lose a tempoEvery knight move changes something. Triangulate with your king to pass the move — and the knight is in zugzwang.→
  9. 9Pawns off the bishop's colourKeep your pawns on the opposite colour to your bishop — off its diagonals, so it stays free and they aren't targets.→
  10. 10Trade into the won endingUp a piece? Swap the rooks. A king-and-minor-piece ending an extra piece up plays itself.→