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Instructive Endgame: Knight vs Bishop

A8086555

Bishops cannot move on every chess square. You should push your pawns on the dark squares while your opponent's bishop is on the light squares.

Bishops cannot move on every chess square. You should push your pawns on the dark squares while your opponent's bishop is on the light squares.
Toadofsky

Kudos for selecting an important endgame and for your effort writing this blog.

It's a bit dizzying to follow, as many statements are vague and conclusory, however I accept it's a challenging endgame to write about.

Kudos for selecting an important endgame and for your effort writing this blog. It's a bit dizzying to follow, as many statements are vague and conclusory, however I accept it's a challenging endgame to write about.
Mradsomer

really enjoyed this, very clear and instructive, hope to see more endgame pieces from you!

really enjoyed this, very clear and instructive, hope to see more endgame pieces from you!
RuyLopez1000

@Mradsomer said ^

really enjoyed this, very clear and instructive, hope to see more endgame pieces from you!

Thank you. I admire your endgame bootcamp series as well and was inspired by it.

@Mradsomer said [^](/forum/redirect/post/qDL1UxAJ) > really enjoyed this, very clear and instructive, hope to see more endgame pieces from you! Thank you. I admire your endgame bootcamp series as well and was inspired by it.
Toadofskyedited

About the following:

  1. The knight is better if the position is relatively closed, with lots of pawns still on the board.
  2. Provoke or fix pawns on the same color as their bishop through pawn advances. This makes the bishop defensive and limits its squares.
  3. Use pawn breaks to create a weakness or to allow the possibility of a passed pawn.
  4. Also use pawn breaks to open squares for your pieces.
  5. If you have a passed pawn and the opponent has weaknesses that can be won on the other side of the board, you can go there while the opponent needs to defend your passed pawn, allowing you to win material easily.
  1. The knight is better if the position is closed or relatively closed, usually with pawns on one side of the board.
  2. The notion of "provocation" against a skilled opponent is an illusion. If tactically possible, fix the opponent's pawns on the same color square as the bishop. Note: in B+N+P versus (any) endgames, it's more important that your bishop not be blocked by pawns than it is to worry about the opponent's bishop.
  3. See 2. It is rare to be able to fix pawns any other way than by threat of creating a passed pawn, or by threat of winning a weak pawn. This is simply a way of restarting 2.
  4. Your pieces are a king, a knight, and pawns. It's rare for the opponent to simply invite your king to capture weak pawns, and using pawn breaks doesn't open squares for your pawns (except when creating a passed pawn). This is simply another way of restarting 2.
  5. Indeed, passed pawns (or threats as mentioned earlier) are powerful because they tie down the opponent's king, freeing your king and knight to easily swoop in and capture weak pawns.
About the following: > 1. The knight is better if the position is relatively closed, with lots of pawns still on the board. > 2. Provoke or fix pawns on the same color as their bishop through pawn advances. This makes the bishop defensive and limits its squares. > 3. Use pawn breaks to create a weakness or to allow the possibility of a passed pawn. > 4. Also use pawn breaks to open squares for your pieces. > 5. If you have a passed pawn and the opponent has weaknesses that can be won on the other side of the board, you can go there while the opponent needs to defend your passed pawn, allowing you to win material easily. 1. The knight is better if the position is closed or relatively closed, usually with pawns on one side of the board. 2. The notion of "provocation" against a skilled opponent is an illusion. If tactically possible, fix the opponent's pawns on the same color square as the bishop. Note: in B+N+P versus (any) endgames, it's more important that your bishop not be blocked by pawns than it is to worry about the opponent's bishop. 3. See 2. It is rare to be able to fix pawns any other way than by threat of creating a passed pawn, or by threat of winning a weak pawn. This is simply a way of restarting 2. 4. Your pieces are a king, a knight, and pawns. It's rare for the opponent to simply invite your king to capture weak pawns, and using pawn breaks doesn't open squares for your pawns (except when creating a passed pawn). This is simply another way of restarting 2. 5. Indeed, passed pawns (or threats as mentioned earlier) are powerful because they tie down the opponent's king, freeing your king and knight to easily swoop in and capture weak pawns.
CC_Prestiged

Indeed, if you put pawns on the same colour squares as the bishop, the bishop has targets but is also limited while if you place pawns on opposite colours the bishop will be free yet have no real targets. Hence, it depends largely on the position.

Indeed, if you put pawns on the same colour squares as the bishop, the bishop has targets but is also limited while if you place pawns on opposite colours the bishop will be free yet have no real targets. Hence, it depends largely on the position.
Toadofsky

@CC_Prestiged said ^

Indeed, if you put pawns on the same colour squares as the bishop, the bishop has targets but is also limited while if you place pawns on opposite colours the bishop will be free yet have no real targets. Hence, it depends largely on the position.

Yeah, I've had some fun endgames where breaking conventional advice for the right reasons is the correct move.

@CC_Prestiged said [^](/forum/redirect/post/0L1DJOmz) > Indeed, if you put pawns on the same colour squares as the bishop, the bishop has targets but is also limited while if you place pawns on opposite colours the bishop will be free yet have no real targets. Hence, it depends largely on the position. Yeah, I've had some fun endgames where breaking conventional advice for the right reasons is the correct move.