Opposite-colored bishops

A term for positions where the two sides have bishops that travel on squares of different colors.

In the endgame

In the endgame, opposite-colored bishops often make defense easier for the weaker side and let it save the game, since the opponent cannot control the squares their own bishop cannot reach, for example:

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1. Despite being two pawns up, White cannot win:
2. 1.
3. 2.
4. 3.

In the middlegame

In the middlegame, by contrast, opposite-colored bishops often help an attack succeed, since it is hard for the opponent to remove (trade off) a bishop that plays an active part in the offensive.