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Who's better: bishop or knight?

Who's better: bishop or knight?

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Originally posted by ChessJester
I would say they are equal overall... but lets make a list.

It takes one move for a knight to attack
So we have a tie 5 advantages each.

If anyone has any other advantages for either piece please post them.
That's really quite a clever idea, an addition:

The knight can administer checkmate on it's own (smothered mate). One to the knight.

Therefore 6-5 in favour of the knight.

In my opinion if you have an opportunity to retain the bishop pair you should take it.

Although I believe the knight is better, because at our level people find it hard to visualise and therefore if you visualise the knight movement quite well you have an advantage.

I always think in terms of Bishop =3.5 Knight =3.25 and it serves me quite well.

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dead in the water.. ha thats funny
btw earlier in this thread someone told me you only capture pieces you dont kill them. Is that true? If it is then thats not very gruesome. I like gruesome.

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Originally posted by Lieutenant Fatman
White will not be able to win this game, unless black allows it of course.
No. White is playing up the board. His pawn is on h2.

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Originally posted by bishops r cool
white WILL win this game no matter what. All that black can do is move the queen back and forth.
Before you can say that, you must show how White breaches Black's fortress.

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Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Before you can say that, you must show how White breaches Black's fortress.
I'd like to see a sample mate...but I'm too lazy to calculate it.

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Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Before you can say that, you must show how White breaches Black's fortress.
Qxd2 genius

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Originally posted by 93confirmed
Sorry if I'm a little "slow" this afternoon but is it White to move (h8=Q) and we're looking at the board from Blacks side?
It doesn't have to be a queen...

1 edit
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Originally posted by UmbrageOfSnow
Qxd2 genius
Wrong! That rook is guarded by a pawn in case you didn't notice. Thus not checkmate. As I stated there is no obvious win for white and anyone who states otherwise has not analysed the board properly.

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Originally posted by BigDoggProblem
Apologies in advance to those who have already seen this (I've posted it before), but this is my favorite example of a ridiculously outnumbered pawn forcing a win.

[fen]8/8/8/1p6/1pp5/brpp4/1pprp2P/qnkbK3 w KQkq - 0 1[/fen]
White to mate in 13
1.h4 Qa2 2.h5 Qa1 3.h6 Qa2 4.h7 Qa1 5.h8=Q Qa2 6.Qb8 Qa1 7.Qxb5 Qa2 7.Qxc4 Qa1 8.Qxb3 Qa2 9.Qxa2 STALEMATE!!

Queen doesn't work.

1.h4 Qa2 2.h5 Qa1 3.h6 Qa2 4.h7 Qa1 5.h8=N Qa2 6.Nf7 Qa1 7.Nd6 Qa2 8.Nxb5 Qa1 9.Nd6! Qa2 10.Nxc4 Qa1 11.Na5 Qa2 12.Kf1! Qa1 13.Nxb3#


WOOT! I think I got it!

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Originally posted by ChessJester
1.h4 Qa2 2.h5 Qa1 3.h6 Qa2 4.h7 Qa1 5.h8=Q Qa2 6.Qb8 Qa1 7.Qxb5 Qa2 7.Qxc4 Qa1 8.Qxb3 Qa2 9.Qxa2 STALEMATE!!

Queen doesn't work.

1.h4 Qa2 2.h5 Qa1 3.h6 Qa2 4.h7 Qa1 5.h8=N Qa2 6.Nf7 Qa1 7.Nd6 Qa2 8.Nxb5 Qa1 9.Ne6! Qa2 10.Nxc4 Qa1 11.Na5 Qa2 12.Kf1! Qa1 13.Nxb3#


WOOT! I think I got it!
Can you tell us how does your Knight goes from 8. Nxb5 to 9. Ne6?

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Originally posted by 93confirmed
Can you tell us how does your Knight goes from 8. Nxb5 to 9. Ne6?
Ok, no you are right, I wrote it wrong, it should be 9.Nd6! sorry.

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Chessjester I am impressed, I didn't think of that, well done.

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Originally posted by Lieutenant Fatman
Chessjester I am impressed, I didn't think of that, well done.
Thanks, I just looked for the weak spot.

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Originally posted by ChessJester


Queen doesn't work.

1.h4 Qa2 2.h5 Qa1 3.h6 Qa2 4.h7 Qa1 5.h8=N Qa2 6.Nf7 Qa1 7.Nd6 Qa2 8.Nxb5 Qa1 9.Nd6! Qa2 10.Nxc4 Qa1 11.Na5 Qa2 12.Kf1! Qa1 13.Nxb3#


WOOT! I think I got it!
How does 12 Kf1 work at all???

You are moving into check aren't you?

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12 kf1 moves into check Kf2 allows the pawn to promote letting the rook out and freeing up the king

The only way to make the knight work is to try to triangulate the position so that the knight reaches a5 when the queen is at a2