Opposite-colored-bishops annotation symbol

Opposite-colored bishops normally occur when each side retains one bishop, with one traveling on light squares and the other on dark squares. Because they can never attack each other directly, each bishop may dominate squares the other cannot contest.

⮻ is the specialized character in Unicode, the standard that assigns common codes to digital characters, for this configuration. ◨ is an earlier rendering still used by some programs. The sign describes the relationship between the bishops; it does not automatically identify the better side or replace analysis of the endgame.

Scid vs. PC includes $153 as a proposed Numeric Annotation Glyph (NAG) for opposite-colored bishops. It comes after the meanings assigned by the original Portable Game Notation (PGN) specification, the text format for storing games. The same file may therefore appear as ◨, ⮻, or a text label depending on the application.

In endings with few other pieces, the configuration often increases defensive chances because the attacker cannot control every square of the opposite color. With queens, rooks, or other attackers present, it can instead support a strong attack on a color the defending bishop cannot cover. The symbol is descriptive, not a rule declaring a draw.