Knight or Bishop better? • page 1/3 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

HasanMemik

#1

I am reopening this long-standing and inconclusive debate.

KenulL_76

#2

IT DEPENDS ON THE POSITION!!!

crtex

#3

Bishops are better.

Just like Rooks are better than minor pieces despite the fact that exchange sacrifices can work, because it's an average value.
Bishops are worth more than Knights on average but it's a lot closer and requires case-by-case evaluation.

Bishops are better. Just like Rooks are better than minor pieces despite the fact that exchange sacrifices can work, because it's an average value. Bishops are worth more than Knights on average but it's a lot closer and requires case-by-case evaluation.

kindaspongey

#4

There are about 50 pages on knights and bishops in The Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman.
"... The Amateur’s Mind ... is one of the best instructive books in print. ..."
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf
"... The Amateur's Mind ... (for players 1000 to 1600) ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2010)
https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/amateurs-mind-the-2nd-edition/

There are about 50 pages on knights and bishops in The Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman. "... The Amateur’s Mind ... is one of the best instructive books in print. ..." https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf "... The Amateur's Mind ... (for players 1000 to 1600) ..." - IM Jeremy Silman (2010) https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/amateurs-mind-the-2nd-edition/

drSabrotna

#5

A bishop trapped behind its own pawns is like putting the starting QB at the concession stand.

"A knight on the rim might be Magnus undercover" - Hikaru

A bishop trapped behind its own pawns is like putting the starting QB at the concession stand. "A knight on the rim might be Magnus undercover" - Hikaru

mkubecek

#6

"One of my hobby-horses is play with a good knight versus a bad bishop" - Herman Grooten

The_Divine_King

#7

Bishop vs Knight: the most common imbalance in chess. But when is it better to have a Bishop? And when is the Knight more effective? The discussion usually tips in favor of the Bishop. Several World Champions, including the infamous Bobby Fischer, were known to prefer the Bishop over the Knight in most cases.

Multiple Chess books and teachers even suggest that the Bishop is worth 3.5 points, while the knight is only worth 3 or 3.25 points. As to my knowledge, this claim is not funded with evidence. There aren't many statistics that claims the Bishop to be scoring better than the Knight.

This is why theanswer usually is “it depends”.

In a nutshell:

What speaks for the Bishop:

The Bishop is better in open positions
Bishops get more powerful when they are in a pair
If you have a Bishop, you should place your pawns on the opposite color of your Bishop
What speaks for the Knight:

Knights are more powerful in closed positions
In endgames with pawns on only one side, the Knight is stronger than the Bishop
Knights love to sit on an outpost and dominate in the center of the Board
Knights can go to all the squares of the board, while a Bishop can control only 50% of the squares (its own color)

(from https://nextlevelchess.blog/bishop-vs-knight/)

Bishop vs Knight: the most common imbalance in chess. But when is it better to have a Bishop? And when is the Knight more effective? The discussion usually tips in favor of the Bishop. Several World Champions, including the infamous Bobby Fischer, were known to prefer the Bishop over the Knight in most cases. Multiple Chess books and teachers even suggest that the Bishop is worth 3.5 points, while the knight is only worth 3 or 3.25 points. As to my knowledge, this claim is not funded with evidence. There aren't many statistics that claims the Bishop to be scoring better than the Knight. This is why theanswer usually is “it depends”. In a nutshell: What speaks for the Bishop: The Bishop is better in open positions Bishops get more powerful when they are in a pair If you have a Bishop, you should place your pawns on the opposite color of your Bishop What speaks for the Knight: Knights are more powerful in closed positions In endgames with pawns on only one side, the Knight is stronger than the Bishop Knights love to sit on an outpost and dominate in the center of the Board Knights can go to all the squares of the board, while a Bishop can control only 50% of the squares (its own color) (from https://nextlevelchess.blog/bishop-vs-knight/)

PawncompleX

#8

when there's lots of pieces on the board its worthwhile to favor your knights because they have the mobility of hopping over pieces. bishops on the other hand should be favoured going into the endgame because of their improved mobility overall despite not being able to hop over pieces.

verylate

#9

If you're interested in doing a little reading, Jeremy Silman has a chapter on the subject in Reassess Your Chess (4th edition). It's pretty basic, but it's meant to be instructive. John Watson has a deeper, more detailed and far-reaching discussion of the topic in his Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy. (SoMCS, btw, is one of the best chess books ever written; but unless you are a master, it isn't exactly bathroom reading.) Watson also cites an earlier work on the topic. Bishop versus Knight: The Verdict by Steve Mayer.

Depending on your appetite for study, that should provide grist for your mill.

If you're interested in doing a little reading, Jeremy Silman has a chapter on the subject in Reassess Your Chess (4th edition). It's pretty basic, but it's meant to be instructive. John Watson has a deeper, more detailed and far-reaching discussion of the topic in his Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy. (SoMCS, btw, is one of the best chess books ever written; but unless you are a master, it isn't exactly bathroom reading.) Watson also cites an earlier work on the topic. Bishop versus Knight: The Verdict by Steve Mayer. Depending on your appetite for study, that should provide grist for your mill.

MASTER_DEFEATER

#10

i usually like to play with knight