Are Be2/Be7 good developing moves??


In many cases, I think the bishops are placed there because the more active squares (e.g. Bd3, Bc4, Bb5) are not available. However, there are a few scenarios I can think of where one might prefer something like Be7 even when given other choices:
- Preventing doubled pawns if your knight is going to be exchanged on c6;
- Rerouting to c6 to pressure an isolated pawn on d4;
- Defending the g5 square from an enemy knight (e.g. stopping a Greek Gift sacrifice in the French Defense);
- Forming a battery with the queen to play Bh4+ after white has pushed his f-pawn (e.g. some lines in the King's Gambit Accepted)