Bishops vs Knights: When to Use Which
As we know from our point value system, knights and bishops are each worth three points. (If you aren’t familiar with the point value system, read our blog post on it here.) You may be wondering, if they’re both worth 3 points, can I exchange them whenever I want? The answer to this question is no. Each piece has its own advantages and disadvantages and the knight and bishop are no exception.
So when are bishops more powerful? Bishops are stronger in open positions. Take a look at this position, for example.
The bishops are stronger in this position because notice that they are free to move along their diagonals. For example, the bishop on f2 has a great control from g1 to a7 just like how the bishop on g2 has a control from h1 to b7. In these positions, the bishops are much stronger than the knights.
So when are knights stronger? Knights, as you now may have guessed, are stronger in closed positions. Take a look at the below position.
In this position, white is winning. This is because the position is closed and white has the knight pair. This means white can maneuver his knight to a square of his choice because knights are the only pieces that can jump over other pieces.
For example, the white knights could hop around until they reach b5 and h5. There, they both have a strong control of the board. From there, white could break apart the position with a push of b4 or h4 after setting up his major pieces in the correct squares.
Also notice that the black bishops are very weak. They both have very limited squares to go to and do not have strong diagonals to control.
Author: Saharsh Satheesh
