Hello folks, how were part 1 and part 2? If they were easy for you, congratulations, you understand well some basics. Otherwise, feel free to start a discussion about which you struggled with.
Remember I mentioned “the wrong corner” in problem #3 where there’s only a Rook vs. a Bishop? Today, we will review a little bit about that type of Endgame. Let’s take a look at the diagram below.
So basically, the right corner is the corner which has opposite color with the Bishop. In this case, h8 or a1. Why is it “right”? Because now Black King can hide behind Bishop’s back.
For example, 1. Ra8+ Bg8 and White has to move either his Rook away from the last rank or his King apart, otherwise it gonna be a stalemate.
White can continue 2. Ra1 Bb3 3. Kg6. Now there’s a little trick, if Black plays 3…Bg8, he will lose because of 4. Rh1. But Black can play 3…Bc2+ instead, and he can easily hold for a draw.
In conclusion, in the Endgame where you have a lone Bishop against a lone Rook, the only thing to keep in mind is to run your King towards the right corner and he’ll be safe there. Now let’s go to the next page and review some other basic Endgames.