--- title: "Wrong-colored bishop in chess" url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/wrong-colored-bishop.md" canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/wrong-colored-bishop" last_updated: "2026-11-07" type: "reference" summary: "A wrong-colored bishop runs on the opposite color to the queening square of its side's rook pawn. The wrong bishop still has work to do before the king arrives." related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/wrong-rook-pawn.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rook-pawn.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/stalemate.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fortress.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/minor-piece-endgame.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/endgames.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"] --- # Wrong-colored bishop in chess > **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md. A wrong-colored bishop runs on the opposite color to the queening square of its side's rook pawn. The wrong bishop still has work to do before the king arrives. A wrong-colored bishop runs on the opposite color to the queening square of its side's rook pawn, so it can never cover that corner or drive out a defending king sitting there, and the ending is drawn. The phrase describes the [bishop](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bishop.md), not the pawn, and it matters most when you are deciding whether to simplify. With a [rook pawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rook-pawn.md), the winning plan is to promote on a corner [square](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/square.md), so the bishop has to be able to cover that corner. Use a quick test: note the color of the [promotion](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/promotion.md) square, then the color your bishop runs on. If they match, king, bishop and pawn normally win; if they differ, the bishop is wrong-colored and a defending king that reaches the corner draws. The bishop can never check the king there or take the corner square away, so the remaining tries either give [stalemate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/stalemate.md) or let the pawn fall, as the example shows. The wrong bishop still has work to do before the king arrives. It can guard the squares the defending king needs on its way to the corner, and if those squares stay covered, the ending is won after all. When attacking, look for a way to keep a second pawn on another file, or trade into a structure where your bishop matches the queening square. When defending, aim to exchange pieces and pawns until only the rook pawn and the wrong bishop remain, then head straight for the corner. ## Example position White to move. The a7 pawn promotes on a8, a light square, but the bishop on c1 is dark-squared. Black has no legal move, so every bishop move and Ka6 give stalemate, and every other king move lets Black take the pawn: a draw. Position (FEN): `k7/P7/1K6/8/8/8/8/2B5 w - - 0 1` Compare it with [Bishop and knight checkmate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/bishop-and-knight-checkmate.md). Bishop and knight checkmate is the ending in which a king, a bishop and a knight force mate against a lone king, which must be driven into a corner of the bishop's color. It sits close to [Wrong rook pawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/wrong-rook-pawn.md). A wrong rook pawn is an a-pawn or h-pawn whose promotion square is the opposite color to its side's bishop, so king, bishop and pawn cannot win once the defending king reaches the corner in front of it. If "Wrong-colored bishop" has cost you half a point, a [first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md) is a good place to find the pattern behind it: George Li goes through your games and builds a plan. ## Related terms - [Wrong rook pawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/wrong-rook-pawn.md) - [Rook pawn](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rook-pawn.md) - [Stalemate](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/stalemate.md) - [Fortress](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fortress.md) - [Minor piece endgame](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/minor-piece-endgame.md) ## Guides that go further - [How to choose a chess coach](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-choose-a-chess-coach.md): What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid. - [How much does chess coaching cost?](https://georgelichess.com/chess-coaching-cost.md): Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each. - [The first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book/first-lesson.md): A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li. [Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com. ## Related - [Wrong rook pawn in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/wrong-rook-pawn.md) - [Rook pawn in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rook-pawn.md) - [Stalemate in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/stalemate.md) - [Fortress in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/fortress.md) - [Minor piece endgame in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/minor-piece-endgame.md) - [Chess terms: Endgames](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/endgames.md) - [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)