FIDE Surveys – Spyridon Skembris

1

Spyridon Skembris:

Rooks and different colored
bishops

Endings with rooks and bishops of different
colors have their own rules. In this survey
we shall see some typical ideas and motives
which are important to know in this type of
endgame.
Important factors are:

-

Initiative and activity of the pieces

,

-

Mating threats

,

-

Tricks for promoting passed pawns

,

-

Combining the attack against different

weaknesses

,

-

Important defending ideas

.

In all endgames the activity of the pieces
plays an important role, but in this specific
endgame type it is even more crucial, as on
both sides the one color comple

x

which the

bishop does not control tends to be weak.
The following game gives a good illustration
of this.

Skembris

:

Joksimovic

,

Belgrade 1983

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-trk+0
9+-+l+-zp-0
9-+p+-+-zp0
9+-+pvL-+P0
9-tR-zP-+P+0
9+-+-+PmK-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

1.Rb7 It is obvious that

White

has the better

chances due to his more active pieces and
attacking ideas on the kingside. But it is not
so easy to make progress.

1...Rf7 2.f4 Be8

Of course

Black

would like to e

xc

hange

rooks. The alternative is 2...Be6 3.Rb6 Bd7
4.g5! hg5 5.fg5 and there is no good way to
meet the threat of g6.
3.Rb8 Re7 4.Bd6 Re6 5.f5!

The pawns help to control the White squares,
while the bishop controls the Black ones.
5...Re3

The rook ending after 5...Rd6 6.Re8 Kf7
7.Rc8 Rf6 8.Rc7 Kf8 9.Kf4 would be
hopeless for

Black

.

6.Kf2 Re4 7.Kf3 Kh7 8.Be5

Now the

Black

rook is cut off from the

defense, and on its own it cannot do a lot in
the White camp.
8...Bf7

Neither 8...Bd7 9.Rd8 nor 8...c5 9.Re8 cd4
10.f6! gf6 (or 10...d3 11.fg7 with mate)
11.Re7 Kg8 12.Bf6 would be a solution for
Black.
9.Rc8 Re1 10.Rc7!

Now the threats on the seventh rank are
starting to be serious.
10...Kg8 11.Rc6

The first pawn is gone.
11...Rf1 12.Kg2 Ra1 13.Rc8 Kh7

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+R+-+-+0
9+-+-+lzpk0
9-+-+-+-zp0
9+-+pvLP+P0
9-+-zP-+P+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+K+0
9tr-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

14.Rf8

Here I missed the chance to win the game
immediately with 14.g5!!. After 14...hg

5

15.h6 Black cannot take the pawn because of
mate, and 15...Bg8 is simply met by 16.hg7.

FIDE Surveys – Spyridon Skembris

2

What I had overlooked was that after
14...Bh5 15.g6 Bg6 White does not have to
take back on g6, but has the nice winning
move 16.Rc7!.
14...Ra2 15.Kg3 Ra3 16.Kf4 Ra7

Black has no choice. After 16...Bg8 17.f6

gf6 18.Rf6 Ra7 19.g5 hg5 20.Kg5 Rg7
21.Rg6! White mates either with 21...Ra7
22.Rh6# or 21...Rg6 22.hg6#.
17.Rb8 Ra1

The best defense, as Black has to keep his
rook active to be able to disturb from behind
if necessary. After 17...Rd7 18.g5 hg5 (or
18...Bh5 19.gh6! Bf7 20.hg7 Bg8 21.Rb2)
19.Kg5 Ra7 20.Rf8! Rb7 21.f6 gf6 (or
21...g6 22.Rf7 Rf7 23.hg6) 22.Bf6 Bg8
23.Rd8! White has the killing threat of
building a mating net with Rd6 and Be5.
18.Rf8 Ra7 19.Kg3 Rb7

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-tR-+0
9+r+-+lzpk0
9-+-+-+-zp0
9+-+pvLP+P0
9-+-zP-+P+0
9+-+-+-mK-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

20.g5!

We have seen a similar breakthrough already
in the analysis. Also here it is decisive.
20...hg5

After 20...Bh5 White wins with 21.gh6 Kh6
22.Rh8 Kg5 23.Bf4 Kf5 24.Rh5 Ke4
25.Be5.
21.h6!

This is the point.
21...Bg8 22.hg7 Rb1 23.Kg4 Rg1 24.Kh5
Rh1
After 24...g4 25.Kg5! g3 26.Kg4 g2 27.Kg3
there is a strange kind of zugzwang, and the
g-pawn will fall.

25.Kg5 Rg1 26.Kf4 Rf1 27.Ke3 Re1
28.Kf2 Ra1 29.f6 Ra2 30.Ke3 Ra7

31.Bd6!

Now the threat is Be7.
31...Be6

After 31...Rf7 32.Be7 another zugzwang
appears.
32.Rh8 Kg6 33.g8D Bg8 34.Rg8 Kf6
35.Re8 Ra6 36.Bc5 Ra5 37.Kf4 1

:

0

.

With rooks and opposite colored bishops it
happens quite often to have mating threats
against the king. We have seen a bit of it
already, but in the following endgame it is
clearly the most important factor.

Skembris

:

Banikas

, A

thens 1997

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+k+0
9zp-+-+p+p0
9-zp-zp-vLp+0
9+-+P+l+-0
9P+P+rzP-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+PzP0
9+-tR-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

26.a5!?
The best chance to play for a win. After
26.g3 Re2 27.a5 ba5 28.Ra1 Bh3

Black

has

enough counterplay, e.g. 29.Rb1 Kf8 30.Rb8
Re8 31.Rb7 Re2! (of course not the passive
31...Ra8 32.Be7) 32.Ra7 Rg2 33.Kh1 Re2
34.Ra8 Re8 35.Bg7 Ke7, and

Black

can hold.

26...Rf4?!
Better was 26...ba5 27.g3 Re2 28.c5 dc5
29.Rc5 Bh3, and now the clever 30.g4! Bg4
31.Ra5 h6 32.Ra7 can be met by 32...g5!
33.fg5 hg5 and Black should be able to hold
on.
27.ab6 ab6 28.g3! Rg4?!

FIDE Surveys – Spyridon Skembris

3

Black should do something against the
strong

White

bishop, and with 28...Rf3!

29.Ra1 Bc8 30.Bd4 Rd3 he could to chase it
away from the long diagonal, e.g. 31.Bb6
Bf5 32.Bc7 Rc3 33.Ra8 Kg7 34.Bd6 Rc4.

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+k+0
9+-+-+p+p0
9-zp-zp-vLp+0
9+-+P+l+-0
9-+P+-+r+0
9+-+-+-zP-0
9-+-+-+-zP0
9+-tR-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

29.c5!
A strong attacking move which poses serious
questions to Black.
29...h6?
A mistake in a difficult position. 29...bc5
loses because of 30.Ra1, as now the saving
idea ...Rc4 and ...Rc8 is no longer possible.
The best was 29...b5! with the idea 30.cd6
(or 30.c6 h6 31.Kf2 Ta4) 30...Rc4 31.Re1
Rc8, and even if

White

keeps the initiative

with 32.Re7 the game is not over yet.
30.cb6?!
30.cd6! followed by Rc7 would have cleared
the situation.
30...Rb4 31.Rc6 g5 32.Rd6
White has won a pawn, but more important
are the two passed pawns and threats against
the Black king because of his monster
bishop.
32...Kh7 33.h4 gh4 34.gh4 h5 35.Kf2 Be4
36.Bc3 Rb5 37.Ke3?!
A much clearer win was 37.Rf6! Bd5
38.Rf5, because 38...Rb3 is now met by
39.Rh5 Kg6 40.Rg5 Kh6 41.Bd2+-.
37...Bd5
After 37...Rd5 White has 38.b7! Rb5 (or
38...Rd6 39.b8Q Rd3 40.Ke4 Rc3 41.Qb5+-)

39.Ke4 Rb7 40.Kf5, and Black cannot
defend, e.g. 40...Rb8 41.Bf6 Rb5 42.Be5
Rb8 43.Rh6 Kh6 44.Bb8+-.
38.Bd4
In spite of the material equality White is still
clearly better, as the Black king is in trouble
and Black has no serious counterplay.
38...Be6 39.Rd8 Kg6 40.Rg8 Kh7 41.Rh8
Kg6 42.Rg8 Kh7
Of course not 42...Kf5?? 43.Rg5#.
43.Rg7 Kh6

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+ptR-0
9-zP-+l+-mk0
9+r+-+-+p0
9-+-vL-+-zP0
9+-+-mK-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

44.Rg5!
The White rook chases away his colleague
from the fifth rank, in order to give his king
a way to get in.
44...Rb3
After 44...Rg5?? 45.hg5 Kg5 the b-pawn
queens.
45.Ke4 Lg4 46.Ke5 Bc8 47.Kf6
Slowly the Black king is getting more and
more squeezed.
47...Bf3 48.Ke7 Rd3 49.Bg7 Kh7 50.Bf6
It is not so much about the pawn f7 which
will fall, but the mating net in which the
Black king is being caught.
50...Rf3 51.Kf7 Kh6 52.Rg8
With mate in a few moves. 1:0.

Like in other endgames free pawns have a
great value, but here sometimes it is not easy
to break the blockade on the color of the
opponent’s bishop. Naturally, one of the
main ideas of the defender is to exchange

FIDE Surveys – Spyridon Skembris

4

rooks, because pure opposite color bishop
endings often tend to be drawn.

Skembris : Kappeler, Switzerland 2018

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-mk-0
9R+-+L+-+0
9+-zp-+-mKp0
9-+Pvl-+-+0
9zP-+-+rzP-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

Here the material is already quite reduced,
and White has to exchange another pawn in
order to make progress.
46.Ra7
It is always possible to be caught in a
tragicomedy like 46.g4?? Bf6 47.Kh5 Rh3#.
46...Kf8 47.g4 hg4
Or 47...Be3!? 48.Kg6! (but not 48.Kh5??
Rf6, winning the bishop because of the mate
threat ...Rh6) 48...hg4 49.Bg4 Rg3 50.Kh5
Bf4 51.a4 with a similar position like in the
game.
48.Kg4 Re3 49.Bd5 Re7
Black can always operate with the idea of
exchanging rooks.
50.Ra6 Ke8 51.a4 Re1
51...Rg7!? 52.Kh5 Kd8 53.a5 Bc3 54.Ra8
Kc7 55.Kh6! Rg1 56.Ra7 Kd8 57.a6 will
lead to similar positions like in the game.
52.a5 Rg1 53.Kf4 Rf1 54.Ke4 Re1 55.Kd3
Rd1 56.Ke2 Ra1 57.Ra7 Kd8 58.a6 Kc8?
Allowing a beautiful win for

White

. Better

was 58...Be5 59.Kd3 Bc7! (but not 59...Bb8?
60.Rb7+- or 59...Kc8? 60.Be6 Kb8 61.Rb7
Ka8 62.Bd5 Bd4 63.a7!) 60.Bc6 Kc8 61.Ra8
Bb8 62.Bb7 Kc7 63.Bd5 and White should
be winning but things are not so easy yet.
59.Rf7!

Now White can improve his position with a
trick.
59...Kb8
The point is 59...Ra6? 60.Bb7.
60.Rb7 Ka8
Now a direct discovered check does not lead
to anything, but ...

XIIIIIIIIY
9k+-+-+-+0
9+R+-+-+-0
9P+-+-+-+0
9+-zpL+-+-0
9-+Pvl-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
9-+-+K+-+0
9tr-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

61.a7!
Game over. 61...Ra7 is answered by 62.Rb1.
1:0.

Very often in endgames one weakness is not
enough – we have to try to create a second
one. The following game shows how this can
be done, and how one advantage can be
transformed into another.

Skembris : Kuczynski, Moscow 1994

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+k+0
9+ptr-+-zp-0
9-+-vlp+-zp0
9zPL+-zp-+-0
9-+-zpP+-+0
9+-+P+-zP-0
9-+-+-zP-zP0
9+-tR-+-mK-0
xiiiiiiiiy

41.Bc4

FIDE Surveys – Spyridon Skembris

5

Here White has some advantage because of
Black’s doubled pawns and the potential
weaknesses on e6 and b7, but for the
moment these weaknesses are covered well
and it is not obvious how White can make
progress. For the moment it is important not
to allow the exchange of the queenside
pawns.
41...Kf7 42.Rb1
Threatening Rb6.
42...Bc5 43.h4 g6 44.Kg2 Kf6 45.Kf3 Ba7
46.Ke2 Bc5
Black has to wait. After 46...Rc5 White has
the tricky 47.a6! with the idea 47... ba6 48.
Rb7+-.
47.Rb5 Ba7
With the idea ...Rc5.
48.Rb3 Bc5 49.Kf3 Ba7 50.Kg4 Bc5
Black should have anticipated the White idea
with 50...h5.
51.h5!
White has to open a path on the kingside.
51...g5
Forced, as 51...gh5?! 52.Kh5 would create
another weakness on h6.
52.Rb5 Ba7

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9vlptr-+-+-0
9-+-+pmk-zp0
9zPR+-zp-zpP0
9-+LzpP+K+0
9+-+P+-zP-0
9-+-+-zP-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

53.f4
If White wants to get anywhere he has to
fight also for the Black squares.
53...gf4 54.gf4 Bc5
Both 54...Rc5 55.Rb7 Ra5 56.Rh7 and
54...Rg7 55.Kf3 ef4 56.Kf4 Rg5 57.Rb7 Ra5
58.e5! would be winning for White.

55.Kf3!
A kind of zugzwang.
55...ef4 56.Kf4 e5
Also 56...Ba7 57.e5 Ke7 58.Ke4 Bc5 59.Rb2
with the idea Rg2-g6 is good for White.
57.Kg4! Rg7 58.Kf3 Rc7 59.Bd5 Ba7
60.Bb7
Now the threat is a6, but obviously Black
had counted on the following move.
60...Rc5

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9vlL+-+-+-0
9-+-+-mk-zp0
9zPRtr-zp-+P0
9-+-zpP+-+0
9+-+P+K+-0
9-+-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

61.Rb2!
Having the initiative here means that White
can switch sides faster. Now the rook wants
to come in via g2 and g6.
61...Kg5!?
Trying to get some counterplay, as 61...Ra5
62.Rg2 Ra3 63.Rg6 Ke7 64.Ba6 is good for
White, who can follow up with Kg4-f5.
62.Bd5! Kh5?!
Black gets back his pawn, but now other
problems arise due to the bad placement of
his king. Better was 62...Ra5 63.Rg2 Kh4!
(but not 63...Kh5? 64.Rg4 followed by Bf7#)
64.Rg4 Kh3 65.Rg6±.
63.Rg2!
Cutting off the king.
63...Rc7?
Overlooking the main threat. More stubborn
was 63...Kh4 64.Rg4 Kh3 65.Rg6! h5 66.a6-

FIDE Surveys – Spyridon Skembris

6

XIIIIIIIIY
9-+-+-+-+0
9vl-tr-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-zp0
9zP-+Lzp-+k0
9-+-zpP+-+0
9+-+P+K+-0
9-+-+-+R+0
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy

64.Rg4!
Now the king is trapped and his pieces
cannot cope with all the threats any more.
64...Bc5 65.Kg3 Bb4 66.a6 Ra7 67.Kh3
Bd2 68.Bc6
After 68...Re7 69.a7 the Black rook will be
overloaded. 1:0.

Conclusion

As we have seen, having the initiative is
extremely important in this type of endgame.
Because the color complex which is not
controlled by the own bishop tends to be
weak, it is usually helpful to try to control
some of these weak squares with pawns. For
the same reason the attack (sometimes also
mating attack) on the weak squares of the
opponent can be very strong.

Passed pawns are as dangerous as in any
other endgame, but it often needs tricks to
get them over the squares which the
opponent’s bishop controls. In most cases it
is necessary to have several weaknesses to
play against, if possible on different wings.
If the other side is passive, quite often we
can find some zugzwang motives.

One of the main defending ideas is the
exchange of rooks, since pure bishop

endings are often drawn. Of course the
stronger side should be careful not to allow
such exchanges. For the weaker side, in most
cases it is a better idea to search for some
counterplay instead of just staying passive.