Bishop

The bishop belongs to the group of so-called “minor pieces”. Its value is estimated at three pawns. It is a long-range piece that, like the rook and queen, can quickly cover large distances. The bishop often becomes active already in the opening, but it can also be very effective in the endgame.

How does the bishop move in chess?

The bishop can be compared to a queen in checkers. It moves exclusively along diagonals. Each player has two bishops, one of which is a light-squared bishop and the other is a dark-squared bishop. Accordingly, each bishop can move only on squares of one color and can never switch to squares of the opposite color. Diagrams №1 and №2 show the possible moves of a light-squared and dark-squared bishop from the center of the board.

If the bishop is placed in the corner of the chessboard, its possibilities are limited and it can only use one diagonal (Diagram №3).

In addition, a bishop on the edge of the board can be quite vulnerable. Consider the position in Diagram №4.

Here, the white bishop carelessly captured a pawn on a7, but Black played the pawn move from b7 to b6, trapping the white bishop. White’s bishop is threatened by a rook attack from the black rook on a8, and there is nowhere to escape. The bishop has two options left — capture the pawn on b6 and lose the bishop (it will be captured by the pawn on c7), or move to b8 and be captured by the black rook. In either case, a valuable piece is lost.

Pinning pieces and bishop attacks on the king

The bishop, like other long-range pieces, can pin opponent’s pieces, but only along diagonals. In Diagram №5, the white bishop can either attack and pin the black rook or win the opponent’s knight.

If White moves the bishop to g3, the rook becomes pinned because the black king is behind it. Therefore, moving the rook is impossible, and White will capture it on the next move. White can also choose to move the bishop to c3, giving check to the black king, and after the king moves away from the diagonal, capture the knight on h8. In this situation, capturing the rook is the better choice because it is more valuable than the knight and gives Black a chance to win the game. After capturing the rook, White manages to achieve a draw.

In Diagram №6, you can see how the bishop stops three black pawns and saves White from defeat.

Where are bishops placed at the beginning of the game?

The starting squares of White’s bishops are c1 and f1, while Black’s bishops start on c8 and f8 (Diagram №7). Bishops often participate in the opening, although they remain useful in the endgame as well.

Can a bishop deliver checkmate?

The answer is both yes and no. A bishop alone cannot deliver checkmate (even with the help of its own king), because a bishop moves only on either dark or light squares, and the opponent’s king can simply move to squares of the opposite color. However, if the opponent has pieces that restrict the king’s escape, checkmate is possible. In Diagram №8, White checkmates the black king by moving the bishop to d4. The g8 square is controlled by the white king, while the h7 square is blocked by Black’s own pawn.

A special case is checkmate with two bishops. If you have both a light-squared and a dark-squared bishop, you can easily win the game with the help of your own king.