Buried Alive & Lifeless: The Bishop

Sometimes we can observe a peculiar situation in chess and notice immediately that one of the pieces on the board practically doesn't exist. I mean, it is there: we can see it, we can feel it, but we cannot move it. Which ultimately comes to the conclusion that, in most of the cases in the game of chess, such a piece is lifeless.

Today I'll be showing some comical examples where during a game the bishop suddenly finds itself to be entombed and imprisoned forever. The bishop, once a majestic piece free to roam the board suddenly finds itself transformed into a fat, lowly 'pawn'. Possibly the most famous example is Winter - Capablanca, Hastings 1919:

Another famous example is from Short - Kramnik, London 2011:

And also Sasikiran - Anand, Hyderabad 2002:

Recently the World Cup held in Sochi saw Vasif Durarbayli face off Vidit Gujrathi with similar circumstances. The Azerbaijan Grandmaster has saddled with a horrible 'pawn' on the first rank, as described by Alon Greenfeld, Vidit's coach.

Congrats, Vidit with the win. In my long career, I have never seen a pawn on the 1st rank! - Alon Greenfeld

So in conclusion, just don't end up with lifeless, buried alive pieces like this. The bishop is the easiest minor piece to be hemmed in by its own forces or enemy forces, so always make sure to avoid situations where it seems like the bishop will have no escape route! When you have the bishop pair on the board, it is especially nasty for your opponent if you keep the position very open and spacious with pawns on both flanks, so you can secure a long-lasting advantage. Just always keep an eye out for your bishops and those pesky pawns .

I hope you enjoyed this entertaining blog! Please comment down below if you liked it, or if there were some things I could improve on. I'm always willing to listen to open feedback!

Stay safe y'all!

- Aediluc, Chessadepti, CM Felix Xie