The most odd rook pawn plus “wrong-colored bishop” ending
Experienced players cultivate various habits in late middlegame play, when they’re thinking about simplifying toward an endgame. If a rook ending looms, they consider the rook activity. If the opponent has a sufficiently-active rook, then a material advantage of one or two or three or four pawns might not be enough to win. If a queen ending is in store, they evaluate king shelters — When the checks begin (and boy, will they; the weaker side looks to check perpetually for a draw, while the stronger side uses queen checks to gain time), do the kings have enough cover, or can they successfully run for cover? If a bishop ending is on the horizon, the practiced player’s eyes look at the square color for their bishop, and whether their rook pawn is “the right color”.
