Bishop
Is a bishop worth more than a knight?
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in my opinion I think the bishop is better, because its long range
Jul 9, 2025
0
#64
blueemu wrote:
Is a Pawn on a3 (which only controls the b4 square) worth the same as a Pawn on e4?
Really?
True, base on the square they're on, the value also changes slightly...
Jul 9, 2025
0
#65
In my opinion they are both useful. I know that some people say that bishops are worth more but knights can be very tricky.
Jul 9, 2025
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#67
ClipSpent wrote:
It depends on the position, bishops are better in open positions, and knights are better in closed ones
I agree
lfPatriotGames wrote:
thedelcai wrote:
If I were better, my best guess is that I'd much prefer a Bishop... and I just read that Fischer thought a Bishop was worth more like 3.5 to a Knight's 3.0 (because it can control more squares). In my own games, I slightly prefer a Bishop just because it's easier to see what squares it contols. But I prefer that my opponent lose a Knight... for exactly the same reason: it's easier to see what squares their Bishops control.
The knight can control exactly twice as many squares as a bishop. But the bishop can potentially control more squares at once.
When I said 'control', I didn't mean 'potentially occupy'. A Bishop can control 13 squares, a Knight 8.
My old chess coach (a National Master) had a preference for knights, and it seemed to serve him well enough.
He used to half-jokingly say, "Now Black will win, because he has the knight pair!"
Jul 9, 2025
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#70
In open positions and endgames, yes. In closed positions or the opening, no.
Jul 9, 2025
0
#71
According to Bobby Fischer a Bishop is worth 3.25 and a Knight is worth 3.
Other people put them both at 3.
I have also heard and I think it is true, that in open positions a bishop is stronger and in closed positions a knight is stronger.
Other pieces can have a stronger or lower value depending on the time and position of the game also. For instance, Trading a Knight and a Bishop for a Rook and a pawn is considered an equal trade 6 for 6 but in the opening and middle game the Knight and the Bishop are more valuable to you than a rook, but in the end game the Rook and pawn can out perform a knight and bishop.
MaetsNori wrote:
My old chess coach (a National Master) had a preference for knights, and it seemed to serve him well enough.
He used to half-jokingly say, "Now Black will win, because he has the knight pair!"
LOL
Jul 9, 2025
0
#73
N=3
B=pi= 3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510
5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679
B=pi= 3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510
5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679
Does the left bishop cost more/less than the right one?
Same about knights... 🤔
Lord_Phan wrote:
According to Bobby Fischer a Bishop is worth 3.25 and a Knight is worth 3.
Other people put them both at 3.
AlphaZero averaged bishops out to be around 3.3, with knights around 3.0.
This doesn't mean that they have fixed values, though! It just means that, over the millions of games that A0 played against itself, it found that bishops were slightly more valuable (about the worth of a tempo) than knights.
But statistical evals should never replace thinking ahead. A bishop might be worth slightly more than a knight *on average* - but every position changes that.
Sometimes a bishop is bad (locked behind pawns, or stuck on a board with few useful targets. In that case, the bishop's value drops.
Sometimes a knight is excellent (on an advanced outpost, with no pieces to challenge it) - in that case, the knight's value skyrockets.
Top players know this - and they evaluate pieces based on the current position.
We won't see Carlsen pondering whether or not his bishop is worth 0.3 pawns more than a knight - he'd probably roll his eyes if anyone suggested as much ...
Depends in the position
MaestroDelAjedrez2025 wrote:
Don't you know that bishops and knights are both worth three points
Actually most top tier players consider bishop to be around 3.3 points of value
LOL. very true