Endgame Study 1:-Opposite Color Bishops (A)

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Endgame"] [Black "Oppisite Colour Bishops"] [Result "*"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "8/4k1p1/8/2b5/2B5/4P1P1/5PK1/8 w - - 0 0"] [PlyCount "18"] {Opposite colure bishop endgame Main properties:-Very drawish even with two extra pawns If Black don't do anything he will lose How to evaluate this position? This is draw but Black has to know how to defend this position so he can defend} 1. Kf3 (1. e4 Kd6 2. Bd3 Ke7 3. f4 Bd4 4. Kf3 Bb2 5. e5 Bc3 6. Ke4 Be1 7. g4 Bc3 8. Kf5 Bd2 9. g5 Be3 10. Ke4 Bc1 11. Bc4 Bd2 12. Bd5 Bc1 13. Bb3 Kf8 14. Bc4 Ke7 15. Bd5 g6 16. Bc4 Bd2 17. Bd3 Bc3 18. Ke3 Kf7 19. e6+ Kxe6 20. Bxg6 Ke7 21. Bd3 Kf7 22. f5 Kg7 23. Kf4 Bd4 24. Bc4 Ba1 25. Ke4 {[%eval 87, 27]}) 1... g5 {Very important to put the pawn on g5 to stop the advance of White pawns. In order to win White has to create two passed pawns. Right now he has one passed pawns.} (1... Bb6 2. Ke4 Bc5 3. f4 {[%cal Ge4f3,Ge3e4]}) 2. Ke4 {[%cal Ge4f5]} Kf6 3. f4 gxf4 4. gxf4 {[%csl Ge3][%cal Gc5e3] It is very important to keep pressure on the backward pawn with bishop. Houdini 3 Pro x64 (40s): 'White has a new protected passed pawn: f4. '} (4. exf4 Bd6 {[%cal Gd6f4]} (4... Bf8 $16 {Houdini 3 Pro x64 (40s)}) 5. g4 Bc7 6. g5+ Kg7 7. f5 Bd8 {[%cal Gd8g5]} 8. g6 (8. f6+ Bxf6 9. gxf6+ Kxf6) 8... Bf6) 4... Ba7 5. Kf3 Bb6 6. e4 {Now White threats e5. So in this position you need to control the e5 square. Remember you can sacrifice your bishop for the two pawns and this will be a draw.} Bc7 {[%cal Gf6e5,Gc7e5]} ({Example line if the White reaches the 6th} 6... Ba7 7. e5+ Ke7 8. Ke4 Bc5 9. f5 Bb6 10. f6+ Kf8 11. e6 Bd8 {Here we reach the same kind of position but will not be able to make a draw here because the Black bishop don't have any squares to go and keep the pressure on f6} 12. Kf5 {[%csl Gd8,Ge7][%cal Gd8f6] Now Black is in zingzowng, if he plays the bishops away White will play e7-e8 and win the game} Ke8 13. e7) 7. Ke3 { Draw Note:-this strategy will work if White's pawns are on the 4th and 5th rank but if White's pawns are on the 6th rank it will not work and we will see why} (7. f5 Be5 {And White can never win}) 7... Bb8 {Putting pressure on the f4 pawn} 8. e5+ (8. Kd4 Bxf4) (8. Ba2 Bd6 $14) 8... Bxe5 {=} 9. fxe5+ Kxe5 { Draw Note:-this strategy will work if White's pawns are on the 4th and 5th rank but if White's pawns are on the 6th rank it will not work and we will see why} *