How ‘Natural’ Moves Ruin Endgames—and How to Calculate Instead

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00:00 How to Spoil the Win
03:03 The Only Move that Wins
06:15 Black Wins
07:45 Einstellung Effect

In this endgame mini-lesson, we explore a sharp bishop ending where White is down a pawn yet playing for a win. But as always in endgames, looks can be deceiving. A beautiful a6-pawn seems like a powerful asset—but one natural-looking move instantly blows the win. The lesson begins with a concrete calculation challenge: Can you resist the obvious idea and find the only winning plan?

As we dissect the critical moment, we discover how a seductive move like Bishop to b8, aiming at a clear target, triggers a tactical resource from Black—Bishop d8—that traps the bishop and flips the evaluation. The lesson dives into why this happens and how cognitive science (like the Einstellung effect) explains our tendency to lock into familiar patterns instead of exploring better alternatives. We reveal the quiet brilliance of Bishop to c7, a candidate move only visible if you generate multiple options and stay skeptical of "pretty" moves.

Through this position, we learn more than just calculation—we practice blunder checking, explore bishop vs. pawn color dynamics, and understand how advanced pawns can act like long-term pressure points. You’ll also see why pawn structure and bishop activity must be combined with concrete lines, not just intuition. Endgames are unforgiving, but if you think like a scientist—questioning your first instincts—you’ll walk away from this lesson with stronger endgame habits and sharper calculation skills.