Useful tips for beginners in chess to use the Bishops effectively
Chess Strategies – The power of Bishops
In the game of chess, the Bishop plays an important role next to the Queen. Flanking the important pieces of the King and the Queen at the back rank in the beginning, the bishops, placed in opposite colors and capable of moving forward or backward in diagonals, have a special place both in attacking the opponent’s pieces as well as defending his own King from the opponent’s threats.
The beginners in their early stages of the game tend to undermine the capability of this important piece and give more importance to the Queen and the rooks. In this article, I would place before you some of the salient features and positional advantages of bishops that every player, in his early stages should bear in mind not only to use the bishops to the best advantage, but also appreciate the importance of the two bishops in the game.
In 9 out of the 10 openings, it is the King’s pawn that is moved upfront by the white pieces. In other words, the pawn at e2 is moved to e4. This move immediately opens up the Bishop at the kingside to open up for attack, even before the queen is released for attack.
Now that the King’s Bishop is opened up for movement, one should ensure that the King’s Bishop is not placed in the third square in front of the Queen before the Queen’s pawn is moved from its original position. You must be aware that the Queen is placed in d1, King is placed in e1 and King bishop is placed in f1 â all for the white pieces. You should never move the bishop at f1 to d3 before the pawn at d2 is moved ahead to d4.
Again, as a general rule, in an open game, be careful not to move your Queen’s pawn at d2 one step forward to d3 before the King’s Bishop is brought out. If you do so, you are restricting the movement of the King’s Bishop at f1 to only e2 in the diagonat f1-a6, where the Bishop will act only as a defensive piece.
The ideal position for the King’s bishop is c4, the fourth square from the Queen’s bishop, because from that square, the King’s bishop threatens the pawn in front of the black King Bishop at f7. If the opponent threatens the King’s Bishop at c4 by placing his Queen’s bishop at f6, then it is advisable not to exchange the opponent’s Queen bishop with your King’s bishop and instead move to safety at b3. If you prefer to exchange the Queen’s bishop at f6 using your King’s bishop, then you will be allowing doubled pawns in the King file and also allow an open âfâ file for the rook in case the opponent castles in the King side.
Do not indiscriminately exchange your bishops for the sake of knights or vice versa. In the end games, having two bishops will be more advantageous than two knights. However, one knight at the end game is more beneficial than one bishop, especially at the end games where there will be more empty squares and less number of pieces.
In the end game, if you have one bishop and two or three pawns left in the board, it is often proper to keep your pawns on squares of a different color to those on which your bishop travels, as the bishop can prevent the opposing King from approaching the pawns.
The above mentioned are some of the ideas that one need to have in mind for effectively using the two bishops bestowed to him. Practising the game with these points in mind will ensure a speedy path towards expertise in the game.
If you are passionate about the game and wish to learn the game at a relatively quicker time, then it is better that you take recourse to the technological advancement in the form of computers and the Internet. Using the computer and the Internet, you can play the game and practise more as and when you feel like playing a game, without searching for a partner. Online Chess is, beyond doubt, a boon for players in their early stages.
If driven by passion, you can find partners round the clock in virtual chess rooms in online chess websites. You choose the partner and can start playing instantly, whether it is 12 noon at midnight or 5 am in the morning.