ChessRanger
Endgame

Wrong bishop

A bishop that doesn't control the queening square of a rook's pawn — a famous drawn fortress.

With a rook's pawn (a- or h-file) and a bishop that cannot control the pawn's promotion square, the defending king simply sits in the corner: it can never be driven out, and the pawn can never promote. A dead draw despite the extra piece.

It is the most important 'wrong-coloured bishop' case, and it decides many endgames the stronger side thinks are winning.

Why it matters

Knowing the wrong-bishop draw lets the weaker side head for it and warns the stronger side which trades to avoid.

The mistake everyone makes

As the stronger side, trading into a rook-pawn-and-wrong-bishop ending; as the defender, leaving the drawing corner.

Related terms

Fortress
A drawn setup the stronger side cannot break down despite being materially ahead.
Opposite-coloured bishops
Each side has one bishop, on opposite colours — strongly drawish in the endgame, sharp in the middlegame.
Opposition
Kings facing each other with one square between them; the side NOT to move usually holds the advantage.

See Wrong bishop in your own games

Play the engine, train tactics, and analyse your games — ChessRanger points out these patterns as they come up so the word turns into a skill. Free to start.

Start playing