Bishop V. Knight Rules

Question 1

Bishop V. Knight Rule 1

Answer 1

Bishops and knights are both worth 3 points.

Question 2

Bishop V. Knight Rule 2

Answer 2

Bishops are best in open positions where pawns don’t block their diagonal.

Question 3

Bishop V. Knight Rule 3

Answer 3

Bishops are very strong in endgames where both sides have passed pawns that are dashing to their respective queening squares. In such situations, the long range capabilities of a bishop make it far superior to the slow, short range knight.

Question 4

Bishop V. Knight Rule 4

Answer 4

The term “bad Bishop” means that your Bishop is situated on the same color as your center pawns.

Question 5

What do you do when your center pawns are on the same color square as your last Bishop?

Answer 5

1. Trade it for a piece of equal value.
2. Get the pawns off the color of your Bishop.
3. Get the Bishop outside the pawn chain.

Question 6

Bishop V. Knight Rule 5

Answer 6

A Bishop’s weakness is that it is stuck on one color a whole game; anything resting on the other color is safe from its attention. 2 bishops work together well because they control both colored diagonals, thereby negating this “one color.”

Question 7

Bishop V. Knight Rule 6

Answer 7

Knights love closed positions with locked pawns. Their ability to jump over pieces makes them very valuable in such situations.

Question 8

Bishop V. Knight Rule 7

Answer 8

Knights usually stand better in the center of the board.

Question 9

Bishop V. Knight Rule 8

Answer 9

Since knights are not long range pieces, they need to have secure, advanced homes to be effective. These homes are called support points.

Question 10

Knight on first rank:

Answer 10

Not effective. Purely defensive.

Question 11

Knight on second rank:

Answer 11

Defensive. Considered inferior to a Bishop.

Question 12

Knight on third rank:

Answer 12

Many defensive functions, but able to change to attack quickly.

Question 13

Knight on fourth rank:

Answer 13

Considered to be fully equal to a Bishop.

Question 14

Knight on fifth rank:

Answer 14

Powerful attacking unit and is usually stronger than a bishop.

Question 15

Knight on sixth rank:

Answer 15

Very powerful.

Question 16

Knight on seventh and eighth rank:

Answer 16

Diminishing returns. Not very good.

Question 17

Bishop V. Knight Rule 9

Answer 17

Knights are superior to Bishops in an endgame if all the pawns are on one side of the board.

Question 18

Bishop V. Knight Rule 10

Answer 18

The best way to take down a knight is to take down its support points first.