How Does the Bishop Move in Chess? Essential Guide

Despite its ranking as a minor piece, the Bishop can be one of the most useful pieces to master in the game of Chess. Aside from the fact that it adds value to both attacking and defensive strategies, it is a piece that many beginners fail to utilize well. Therefore, learning how to develop your Bishops can give you a huge advantage over your opponents - whether playing Chess online or in person.

Understanding the Bishop's Role in Chess

Bishops are valued at three points, making them a minor piece and the least valuable back-row piece, although they are naturally more powerful than Pawns. Bishops are designed to look like a clergyman’s hat but may be depicted in other ways - such as a wooly hat in Winter Chess.

Each player has two Bishops. The White Bishops start in positions C1 and F1 whilst the Black

Bishops begin the game in C8 and F8. This means that each player starts with a Kingside Bishop and a Queenside Bishop. One of their Bishops will be located on a Black square while the other is found on a White square.

How the Bishop Moves on the Board

The movements of a Bishop are characterized as diagonal movements in any direction. So if the Bishop has moved to the center of the board, it can move in any of the four directions (NE, SE, SW, or NW if you think about a compass) but may not move horizontally or vertically.

Due to its exclusively diagonal movements, a Bishop will stay on the same color of squares throughout the game. For example, then, the White Kingside Bishop only ever moves to white squares. Bishops may move as many or as few squares as it likes but will need to stop one square short of any friendly piece that blocks it. When Bishops hit an opposing piece, they can capture it and end their move in the square previously occupied by the opponent.

Maximizing Your Bishop's Effectiveness

For the Bishop to be at its most effective, it needs an open positioning meaning that it can control long diagonals. For example, the Bishop that starts in C1 works best when it has access to A5 and H6. This is because it can essentially attack any enemy pieces that enter this line or block off opponent attacks by moving into any of the available squares.

Therefore, it’s important to ensure that the Bishops maintain good relationships with your Pawns in the early moves. For the C1 Bishop, developing the Pawns in B2 and D2 is vital. Avoiding blockages from the Knights is also key.

Key Strategies Involving Bishops

Every game of Chess is a unique psychological and strategic battle, which is why you have to play the board as it develops. However, some key strategies that may help you enjoy better Bishop plat include;

• Keep Bishops open and Knights protected. Bishops tend to perform better on an open board due to their unrestricted long-range movement. Besides, Knights can jump over pieces even when seemingly blocked in. So, as a beginner, it makes sense to use your minor pieces with this tactic in mind.
• Hide behind your own pieces. Blocking your Bishop with your own pieces may seem restrictive, but having a Bishop at D2 behind pieces in C3 and E3 will stop your opponent from taking the pieces in those two squares unless they feel happy to trade the pieces. Even if they do, it will result in you opening up your Bishop.
• Use an opponent’s Pawn for protection. If a Bishop is in front of an opponent’s pawn, it can’t be taken on the vertical line by any opposing pieces yet still has its full range of movement as it couldn’t move vertically anyway. On a side note, this move stops the opponent’s Pawn from gaining promotion.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with Bishops

In addition to making the right moves with your Bishops, it’s important to avoid the wrong ones. Once again, almost any move could be the right choice under the right circumstances. Still, some of the most common mistakes include;

• Keeping Bishops pegged in for too long.
• Trading Bishops when yours is in a stronger position.
• Losing both Bishops when you could have lost a Knight.
• Moving Bishops to column A or H without good reason.
• Ignoring Pawn placement.

There will be times when the above ‘mistakes’ may actually serve you well. Generally, though, these tactics should be scarcely used. In the meantime, the best way to develop your understanding of Bishops is to play. Practice makes perfect.

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