It is important to consider what is positional advantage you might get. As far as relative strength is concern, you can treat they are similar.
If you just want to simplify the game, I think it is not a good option. If you have time trouble, then go for it.
This is my opinion. If you have choices, don't allow your side to have two knights and your opponent have 2 bishops. I think, in general 2 bishops are slightly stronger than two knights.
Originally posted by dirtysniperTwo bishops can reach the maximum of 26 squares and minimum 14 squares. If you place your knights at the edge of the board, then they may cover 8 squares. Otherwise, they can cover 16 squares constant. You can see that 2 bishops can reach many more squares than 2 knights. Therefore, even a knight can reach both black and white squares, it cannot compensate completely the strength of a bishop.
Assuming a knight and a bishop are both valued at 3 and positional gain aside, is losing a bishop to gain a Knight a logical material exchange?
Although a bishop is just slightly stronger than a knight, however this factor alone cannot secure a win. But, if you exchange your two bishops with for your opponent's two knights, I think you will feel that you are at the disadvantage. Unless you are very good in structuring the position in such a manner that your two knights are more powerful.
Originally posted by exigentskyExactly
Sometimes a pawn promoting to a knight gives check and a mating combination results or the check saves you from defeat. Other times, a Queen would lead to stalemate and promoting to a rook is the only way to win. A crucial pawn can be worth more than a queen.
Originally posted by TigerhouseNo. Check by pawn also cannot be blocked. Just kidding.
The answer depends on the position, is what you will get from most people. But players are allowed to have a preference in the matter. All else equal, I prefer the lone knight to the lone bishop; first, for the ability to attack squares of each color, and second for being the only piece whose checks cannot be blocked.
Game 4251431 A very well know famous opening only as an example of the potential superior abilities of a B v Kn. In this game early and later greed plays the significant role[the early part of the greed is the famous part of course,]Q x c5 is correct while Q x c3 is too greedy.An early play example nevertheless, of what a difference a B V Kn can make later in a game-----------😉
Originally posted by RECUVICI was beaten once by the power of two bishops. But not here. My opponent forced me to settle down with two knights against her two powerful bishops. Even with material balanced, I can't stop her game plan which was centered around two "connected "bishops commanding the center of the board.
Game 4251431 A very well know famous opening only as an example of the potential superior abilities of a B v Kn. In this game early and later greed plays the significant role[the early part of the greed is the famous part of course,]Q x c5 is correct while Q x c3 is too greedy.An early play example nevertheless, of what a difference a B V Kn can make later in a game-----------😉
An active Bishop pair v even the most active Knight pair as you say,is so much to the advantage of the player with Bishops the Knights are most often reduced to impotence assuming the position is open and free flowing. examples of closed positions are many,where the Knights prove superior,but this is of course much more rare.😉
Originally posted by RECUVICBlack to play and win from the final position of this game!
An active Bishop pair v even the most active Knight pair as you say,is so much to the advantage of the player with Bishops the Knights are most often reduced to impotence assuming the position is open and free flowing. examples of closed positions are many,where the Knights prove superior,but this is of course much more rare.😉
Farrell,Neil - Burnett,Andrew [E11]
National League, 1992
I would never have seen that if you didn't tell me black had a winning position. Evidently white didn't see it either, otherwise he wouldn't have made that last move.
But perhaps I'm still not seeing it since I think what I'm seeing can be countered with 48.Rc1. Perhaps not countered, but complicated anyhow.
Originally posted by EladarYes, it can be complicated by the rook move, but black is winning fairly easily anyway as he can double rooks on the 7th in most variations (if I remember correctly?!).
I would never have seen that if you didn't tell me black had a winning position. Evidently white didn't see it either, otherwise he wouldn't have made that last move.
But perhaps I'm still not seeing it since I think what I'm seeing can be countered with 48.Rc1. Perhaps not countered, but complicated anyhow.
Although I fully appreciate the potential power of the bishop pair, there is a lot of dogmatic thinking as evidenced by the posts in this thread - just thought I'd shake things up a bit ; )
I too was baulking at some of the comments in this thread.
Wish I had 10p for every game I've won or seen won v a player
who has given up a brilliant Knight to get the two Bishops.
The myth of the two Bishops has a lot to answer for.
(more about that later).
Nice game SF - Love this position.
Also saw fantasy variation to end your game - not 100% forced
but it's there.
The myth of the two Bishops
There has been far better players and writers than me who have stated
and demonstrated the power of the two Bishops.
I agree with them, they are correct.
However you must be a good player to see home this advantage.
It takes skill to master the two Bishops.
Too many times I've seen players obtain the two Bishops and
then expect the game to win itself.
They don't know what to do with them.
What usually happens is their opponent cedes ground to the Knights
in a miserable effort to keep the two 'game winning' Bishops.
It's not enough to know about the power of the two Bishops,
you must know what to do with this power.
It's not an automatic win.
It's no use asking me the best way to utilise this power - I don't have clue.
I've always been baffled by the rules of thumb.
"In the ending don't put your pawns on the same colour as
your Bishop as this restricts your Bishop."
OK got that.
But where do I put my pawns if I'm left with two Bishops?
That's why I'm a Knights man. I know what I'm doing with Knights.
I've solved my Bishops problem.
The King's Bishop is for saccing on h7.
The Queen's Bishop is for pinning and chopping the f6 Knight
so I can sac on h7.
Now that is the real power of the two Bishops. 😉