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bishops and knights...equal or not?

bishops and knights...equal or not?

Only Chess

Im

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The answer to that is not a simple "Yes" depending on who is asked.
This is because the two most basic strategies on the offensive side of warfare will require either one but not the other:

general strategy 1- long range/missile barrage type where bishops are most essential
general strategy 2- short range/hand-to-hand combat type where knights feature prominently

I think that proper management of these is one of the keys to success in this game. But for the average player, ONE of these 2 playing styles will be dominant for him/her and for each opponent he/she shall face thereafter. These things can only be ascertained through play as there is no foreknowledge, and i guess that is what makes us average because either strategy standing alone will have its pros and cons despite the stronger tendency the average player will have towards one strategy over the other.

Masters and high-ranking players however, have dominance in both playing styles, and can manage both in the opening game stages, and then adjust on the fly as it suits them or when they figure out their opponent's playing style and what works best against it.

My preference is strategy 2; in a recent game, I put one of my knights into 'God Mode' there at the end. My opponent as well if you observe is probably a fan of strategy 1 (consistently avoids confrontation etc.)


wolfgang59
Quiz Master

RHP Arms

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Originally posted by Iere man
The answer to that is not a simple "Yes" depending on who is asked.
This is because the two most basic strategies on the offensive side of warfare will require either one but not the other:

general strategy 1- long range/missile barrage type where bishops are most essential
general strategy 2- short range/hand-to-hand combat type where knights feature ...[text shortened]... Bh5f7 15. Nf3e5 Bf8d6 16. Ne3f5 Qd8g5 17. Nf5xd6 Ke8e7 18. Nd6xf7 Nb8d7 19. Nf7xg5 1-0

[/pgn]
Does "God mode" prevent your opponent from moving his queen?
Awesome!!!
Is it available to non-subs?

The Gravedigger
Jack Torrance

Overlook Hotel

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We are sat at the feet of a Master.

vandervelde

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Patzers tend to give away their Bishops for Knights...

This is also the way to see if someone uses an engine 😉 No egine would ever exchange Bishop for Knight. Only Fischer did it twice in 1970.

Bobla45

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Also in bishop vs knight the knight gets stronger with pawns on only one side of the board, bishop with pawns on both sides

greenpawn34

e4

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The obvious answer is it always depends on the position.

The point is as long as a player knows this and does not think
that in all positions Bishops are the better piece.

There again, the less people know this the better.

I have won many games because my opponent simply refused to swap
their miserable Bishop for a well posted Knight. I'm sure we all have.

So I think we should keep this little secret to ourselves.

Those in the know start posting Bishops are always better than Knigts
to keep the myth running and we will win yet more games.

64squaresofpain
The drunk knight

Stuck on g1

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Originally posted by greenpawn34

Those in the know start posting Bishops are always better than Knigts
to keep the myth running and we will win yet more games.
Bishops are ALWAYS better than knights.

ALWAYS.

😉

Ponderable
chemist

Linkenheim

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Originally posted by greenpawn34
The obvious answer is it always depends on the position.

The point is as long as a player knows this and does not think
that in all positions Bishops are the better piece.

There again, the less people know this the better.

I have won many games because my opponent simply refused to swap
their miserable Bishop for a well posted Knight. I'm s ...[text shortened]... Bishops are always better than Knigts
to keep the myth running and we will win yet more games.
Bishops are always better than Knigts Indeed!

greenpawn34

e4

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Bishops are better than Queens.

Swap your Queen for a Bishop first chance you get.

sbacat
Eddie's Dad

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Originally posted by 64squaresofpain
Bishops are ALWAYS better than knights.

ALWAYS.

😉
I thought it was "Once a queen always a queen, but once a knight's enough."

At least that's what Mrs. Sbacat always says. But wait, she doesn't even play chess...hmmm.

R
Acts 13:48

California

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1 edit
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Originally posted by Iere man
The answer to that is not a simple "Yes" depending on who is asked.
This is because the two most basic strategies on the offensive side of warfare will require either one but not the other:

general strategy 1- long range/missile barrage type where bishops are most essential
general strategy 2- short range/hand-to-hand combat type where knights feature ...[text shortened]... Bh5f7 15. Nf3e5 Bf8d6 16. Ne3f5 Qd8g5 17. Nf5xd6 Ke8e7 18. Nd6xf7 Nb8d7 19. Nf7xg5 1-0

[/pgn]
Depends on the end game structure of the board.

It would be a long study by you could study the openings that lead to endgames to see what has won more with the Knight or bishop. So you could know what to keep in those matches. That probably has been done by GM's.

BigDogg
Secret RHP coder

on the payroll

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Originally posted by greenpawn34
The obvious answer is it always depends on the position.

The point is as long as a player knows this and does not think
that in all positions Bishops are the better piece.

There again, the less people know this the better.

I have won many games because my opponent simply refused to swap
their miserable Bishop for a well posted Knight. I'm s ...[text shortened]... Bishops are always better than Knigts
to keep the myth running and we will win yet more games.
The same is true for any two pieces, really. Are Rooks better than Bishops? Depends on the position. [In general, yes].

Statistically, there may be a small edge to the Bishop. In reality, the difference is so slight that most human players treat them as equal in the absence of a position-specific reason to favor one over the other.

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