The Bishop Pair

About this lesson

Give one side two bishops and the other a bishop and a knight, clear the centre, and the two bishops are usually ahead by about half a pawn. The pair covers both colours, so no square is safe. This lesson is about winning it, keeping it and opening the board so that it matters.

What you will learn

• 01 Why two bishops are more than the sum of two single bishops.
• 02 How to open the position for the pair and keep the enemy knight from an outpost.
• 03 When to refuse a trade that would break the pair, and when a concrete gain justifies it.
• 04 How the pair wins endings with pawns on both wings: restrict the knight, walk the king in.

The rule of thumb

The lesson shows four stages. White with the pair in a middlegame, planning to open lines and deny the knight a stable square. An open centre where both bishops point at h7 and h6 and every black piece must watch them. A moment where the opponent offers a bishop for a knight and the right answer is a retreat. And an ending with pawns on both wings, where the bishops work on both sides while the knight needs three moves to cross.

Club players give the pair away without noticing. A knight attacks a bishop, the bishop is traded for it, and the half-pawn edge is gone for nothing. Treat the pair as material. The second mistake is holding the pair in a closed position and expecting it to work by itself. Bishops need open diagonals, which means pawn exchanges, and the side with the knight will try to keep every pawn on the board.

How to practise it

Read the four sections at your own speed. The quiz then has both bishops aimed at the black king and asks for the strike, and a knight attacking your bishop on d3 with the task of keeping the pair. Answer by voice or by tapping the move. A Pro lesson; Knight vs Bishop continues the theme.

Questions people ask

How much is the bishop pair worth?

In open positions roughly half a pawn more than bishop and knight. In closed positions with fixed pawns the edge shrinks or vanishes.

When should you trade one of the bishops?

Only for something concrete: a pawn, a damaged structure, or an attack that the trade opens. A bishop retreating to keep the pair is usually the better move.