Aveskulov Valeriy. Opposite Coloured Bishops in the Middlegame

ModernChess, December 21, 2021. — 107 р.One of the most important positions to learn is those with opposite-coloured bishops. Developing expertise in middlegames with opposite-coloured bishops can be very time-consuming. To do so you can read different manuals about middlegame play; most will have at least a chapter about such positions. There is also useful material on YouTube. You can also study the games of strong GMs and study the critical moments yourself or you can read this series of articles which the Modern Chess team provides you with! Any material is easier to learn if it is properly structured. This survey also has a plan. In the first article, we will see examples where the stronger bishop dominates on the long (a1-h8/a8/h1) diagonal. The second part features cases where the bishop uses the a2-g8 (a7-g1) diagonal to dominate the position. The third article will show examples of bad bishops in the French Defense. In the final article, we will review a collection of atypical examples and you will find some good practise pointers for improving your middlegame play with opposite-coloured bishops.