Bishop or Knight? Which one to choose?

Bishop or Knight? Which one to choose?

Hey there!

When we first start playing chess, one of the first things we learn is the value of the pieces. While bishops and knights are both worth the same in points, bishops tend to perform better in open positions, while knights excel in closed ones.

However, as we keep playing and learning, we realize there's much more to it than that simple explanation. Some players prefer the bishop, while others lean towards the knight, which can sometimes lead to confusion, especially in the endgame. I've noticed that many players struggle to handle endgames with these pieces, which can make the difference between winning and losing.

So in this blog post, I want to show you some practical examples to help you understand when a bishop is better than a knight (and vice versa), and how to play with them effectively in the endgame.

We'll talk about key concepts like schematic thinking, exploiting your opponent’s weaknesses, piece domination, playing patiently, preventing counterplay, passed pawns, the famous zugzwang, and other important ideas like fixing pawns and setting up barriers.

So let’s take a look at these ideas by analyzing the following examples:

Knight Better than Bishop Examples

Bishop Better than Knight Examples

I hope you find this post helpful and that it improves your game. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, I highly recommend Jacob Aagaard's book Technical Excellence, where these concepts are presented as "technical tools" that every chess player should master.

See you around!