Chess Patterns ❯ Types of Passed Pawns ❯ Bishop's Pawn
Bishop's Pawn
Bishop's Pawn
In some endgames, a Bishop's Pawn may be an advantage, as it can grant unique drawing opportunities that other pawns might not. In the first diagram above, for example, White’s pawn position ensures that the black Queen cannot get too close without risking a stalemate.
In other endgames, a Bishop's Pawn may be a weakness compared to other pawns. The losing side can sometimes create a defensive position (as White did in the second diagram above) that prevents the attacking pieces from making any progress.
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Master the Bishop's Pawn
When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on Bishop's Pawns. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this type of passed pawns.
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Have a go at this excellent video by the Master your Chess with Coach B. YouTube channel and learn how, differently from Rook and Knight Pawns, the Bishop and Central Pawns are more easily handled during the endgame.
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How to Stop Central Pawns from Promotion | Intermediate Level
This lesson by Chessfactor is all about Bishop Pawns and how to deal with them in the Queen vs. Pawns endgame. Highly recommended.
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Spoonful of Endgames. Video 1. Rook endgames with f and h pawns
This is a nice video by the much beloved ChessQueen channel. Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk analyses some Rook and Pawn endgames centered around a passed f-pawn.
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This book by world experts Müller, Lamprecht, John Nunn is subtitled "The Endgame Encyclopaedia for the 21st Century" for good reason. It is comprehensive and thorough, with several parts focusing in detail on bishop's pawns. Ideal for serious intermediates and expert players alike.
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This book by the legendary Mark Dvoretsky is *THE* definitive guide to endgames. You could spend years studying it. Treatment of the bishop's pawn is included. It’s an absolute must-have for your library!