Two bishops are very powerful and are considered better.
bishop versus knight
Sort:
Whether the Knight pair or Bishop pair is more powerful ultimately depends on position. However, beiringer is correct to point out that generally, the Bishop pair is considered more powerful because of their raw power.
The advantage of the Bishop pair lies in their ability to zoom across the board and control far more squares than the Knights. The Bishop is a powerful long-range attacker. It's weakness is that it needs open lines to be effective; thus if hemmed in by its own pawns, the Bishop pair is far less dangerous. Also, if one of the Bishops is captured, the remaining Bishop only controls half the board.
The advantage of the Knight pair lies in their ability to leap over cluttered positions, protect each other, and fork opposing pieces. A Knight that is posted in the center is a very effective attacker, and can often keep the major pieces in check. The weakness of the Knight is that it is a slow-moving and awkward attacker; thus, if the action shifts from one side of the board to another very quickly (as Queens, Rooks, and Bishops can just zip from one end to another), the Knight is often attacking useless squares. Moreover, it will need multiple turns of movement to catch-up to the action, costing you valuable tempo in the endgame. One last disadvantage of the Knight pair is that it cannot force checkmate.
I like Bishops because of their inherent raw power; however, in the right position, Knights can often be better :)
brandonQDSH wrote:
Whether the Knight pair or Bishop pair is more powerful ultimately depends on position. However, beiringer is correct to point out that generally, the Bishop pair is considered more powerful because of their raw power. The advantage of the Bishop pair lies in their ability to zoom across the board and control far more squares than the Knights. The Bishop is a powerful long-range attacker. It's weakness is that it needs open lines to be effective; thus if hemmed in by its own pawns, the Bishop pair is far less dangerous. Also, if one of the Bishops is captured, the remaining Bishop only controls half the board. The advantage of the Knight pair lies in their ability to leap over cluttered positions, protect each other, and fork opposing pieces. A Knight that is posted in the center is a very effective attacker, and can often keep the major pieces in check. The weakness of the Knight is that it is a slow-moving and awkward attacker; thus, if the action shifts from one side of the board to another very quickly (as Queens, Rooks, and Bishops can just zip from one end to another), the Knight is often attacking useless squares. Moreover, it will need multiple turns of movement to catch-up to the action, costing you valuable tempo in the endgame. One last disadvantage of the Knight pair is that it cannot force checkmate. I like Bishops because of their inherent raw power; however, in the right position, Knights can often be better :)
Excellent assessment. Just one more thing you left out. The knight cannot gain a tempo or lose a tempo because it changes square color every time it moves.
belringer wrote:
dwaxe wrote:
It's a draw. No, two bishops are bettter.
No, it's a draw you can't mate the other with 2 bishops if he has 2 knights with proper playing.
They are better because the board is open but you can't win.
I like how a bishop 2 squares below a knight completly dominate it.
The only reason I'd say 2 bishops are better is because 2 bishops can mate while 2 knights can't unless your opponent move into the mate.
Also it seems that if you add a queen to the 2 bishops and to the 2 knights if it's white to play white wins and if it's black to play it's a draw. That's with all the pieces on their original square.
What is better a bishop or a knight.
One player has 2 knights and a king the other player has a king and 2 bishops who will win this game ?