Endgames containing only bishops and knights.
Why it matters
Endgames with only bishops and knights are decided by squares rather than by force. Neither piece can mate on its own, so the pawns do the winning and the piece exists to escort them.
The single most important fact in this whole group is the wrong bishop: a rook's pawn with a bishop that does not control the promotion square is a draw, however many pawns ahead you appear to be.
See it on a board
A bishop on the wrong colour. h8 is dark, the bishop is light, and there is no way to make progress: the black king cannot be driven out, and this is stalemate rather than a win.
Checked: this line reaches a drawn position.
How to play it
- Check the colour of the promotion square against the colour of your bishop before trading anything.
- With a knight, remember it cannot lose a tempo — plan the route in advance rather than shuffling.
- Activate the king first. In minor piece endgames the king is a strong piece and usually the deciding one.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Bishop · ages 5–7
Before trading into a bishop endgame, check which colour the promotion square is. If your bishop cannot touch it, an extra rook's pawn is only a draw.
Rook · ages 6–9
Knights lose these races. A knight cannot pass a tempo, so any position where you need to waste a move is one to avoid with a knight and welcome with a bishop.
What goes wrong
- Trading into a bishop and rook's pawn endgame without checking the colour of the corner.
- Leaving the king passive because the minor piece looks like it should do the work.
Questions people ask
- Is a bishop better than a knight in the endgame?
- Usually, because pawns on both wings suit a long-range piece. With everything on one side, or with a fixed structure, the knight can be the better piece.