The bishop pair is worth a bit extra, but bishops and knights are, statistically (a la Kauffman), equal.
The info (rule of thumb rather) that's more useful to new players is that bishops for open positions and knights for closed.
Thanks...I'm guessing the open and closed positions is freedom of movement correct?
Thanks again...I appreciate it.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708111530/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/bvkt.pdf
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/endgames/which-are-better-for-the-endgame-knights-or-bishops
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/are-bishops-better-than-knights
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/knights-or-bishop-12
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/for-beginners/q-a-for-beginners?page=46
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/community/do-you-prefer-knight-or-bishop?
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/who-is-the-most-powerful-bishop-or-knight
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/which-is-better-knight-or-bishop
There are about fifty pages on knights and bishops in The Amateur's Mind by Jeremy Silman.
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708094419/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/ammind.pdf
https://www.silmanjamespress.com/shop/chess/amateurs-mind-the-2nd-edition/
Always take the bishops. 2 Knights and a king cannot mate. Two Bishops and a King CAN mate.
Some additional points to consider:
A bishop can control every single square a knight can go to if the knight is parked on the edge of the board.
If a bishop is guarding another piece, and it moves to another square, it still protects that piece.
In general, I find it easier/more common to fork my opponents pieces with a knight than with a bishop.
You can mate with 2 bishops, but cannot force a mate with 2 knights (no other pieces on the board other than the kings).
Great information folks...thanks a bunch!
It's too bad there isn't an easy way to call up previous posts. Or perhaps there is, as kindaspongey in post #7 seems to have found numerous links.
The reason I say this, is that in the 2 years I have been on this sight the relative value/strength of the Knight v the Bishop is one of the most commonly recurring posts. And, as seen from above, there is no one real simple answer. Knights can "jump" pieces so early in the game possibly pose more of a threat. As the game progresses and the diagonals start to open the Bishops' ability to move from one side to another in a single move becomes more important, especially when pinning and supporting squares.
Two bishops or even a Bishop and Knight can mate (another common recurring post), while 2 Knights cannot (against a lone King unless aided by your opponent, or if other pieces can block the King's escape). And then, of course, there is personal preference. I have always had great success with my Knights.
It's too bad there isn't an easy way to call up previous posts. Or perhaps there is, as kindaspongey in post #7 seems to have found numerous links.
The reason I say this, is that in the 2 years I have been on this sight the relative value/strength of the Knight v the Bishop is one of the most commonly recurring posts. And, as seen from above, there is no one real simple answer. Knights can "jump" pieces so early in the game possibly pose more of a threat. As the game progresses and the diagonals start to open the Bishops' ability to move from one side to another in a single move becomes more important, especially when pinning and supporting squares.
Two bishops or even a Bishop and Knight can mate (another common recurring post), while 2 Knights cannot (against a lone King unless aided by your opponent, or if other pieces can block the King's escape). And then, of course, there is personal preference. I have always had great success with my Knights.
More great insight!
By the way, if you go to today's Daily Puzzle, there is a great example of how the Black Bishop at b6 supports at long range a checkmate on g1. You can find any Daily Puzzle by scrolling upward from here and towards the top on the right (how my page is set-up) you can click in the category box to open up the different forums. Select Daily Chess puzzle, hit enter and it will take you to a list of all Daily Puzzle. (My post #120 shows a continuation to the checkmate.)
Here's today's link (I think, I haven't tested it): https://www.chess.com/forum/view/daily-puzzles/10-24-2019-overloading-the-critical-square?page=1
I know point wise...each piece is equal. But in the grand scheme of things...which piece is arguably more valuable?