Knights can often be better than Bishops when there are weak pawns even on an open board. This factor is important to remove misconceptions about the ‘slowness’ of the knight. This is large because they can attack squares of either color, unlike a bishop. Thus, the pawns cannot ‘hide’ from a knight, whereas they can sometimes do so from a bishop.
Silman’s Complete Endgame Course – Read this first
This book is a treasure house of interesting and important facts – like the rant in this article that Knights can often be better than Bishops.
If you like to read an interesting endgame book then this is one for you to get.
I use this book to train young students aged below 18.
The book is good for kids whose rating ranges from 800 to 1800.
I also suggest the book to seniors rated below 1800.
From consistent use in my experience, I can say that this is an excellent resource for learning the endgame whatever your rating is
The max rating that can benefit from this is 2300 as mentioned in the book.
If you are already an upcoming and passionate learner/player, start with the initial chapters intended for the lower-rated players.
This will guarantee that you have all the basics pretty much covered (it’s a very good book for revision and reference).
Then complete the chapters aimed at your rating category and move slowly from there. Make sure you write done all the tips given in the fancy boxes.
The explanations and ideas conveyed are gems – clear and easy – my students have been able to understand them without too much trouble. The exercises have also been chosen well, and we will provide more in our training routine.
I can really recommend this book as it makes teaching and learning endgames fun.
Knights can often be better than Bishops – but when?
Let us now discuss the strong points of Knights vs Bishops by reading what are the requirements of these pieces.
Using these tips you may be able to consider converting to a winning ending.
That is the secret of strong players; application of chess knowledge is more important than rote learning!
In this article we discuss another aspect of this topic:
1. While knights are generally considered slow and sluggish beasts, they are unique in their ability to jump over and/or dominate either color, unlike Bishops that are doomed on any one color. This means that Knight can’t be restricted the way bishop can
2. Generally, Knights are considered better in closed positions, while Bishops are better in open positions
3. This factor makes it hugely successful in defending and/or attacking in an open board in endgames as the pawns are vulnerable to attacks.
4. On top of that, Knights can suddenly pose a knight-fork. This tactic sends shivers down any player’s spine as Knight moves are less predictable and require a more extensive calculation
5. The Bishop may be wrong colored especially with Rook-pawn (A-Pawn or H-Pawn) Vs Bishop
I know some of my strong chess player friends prefer to keep Knights and exchange Bishops more often than not for the above reasons 🙂
So if you go along the beaten track of Bishops are better than Knights, I suggest you take a second glance at the board.
All the more if the ending stage is near.
Careless conversions (transitions) to an endgame will seal the fate in the wrong direction if you do not pay heed to the power of the knights.
You must be able to recall these points when you are formulating a strategy
When you have no strategy at hand, you may think along these lines.
These will serve you as guideposts.
Now you know why the Knights can often be better than Bishops in some situations!
However, a word of caution. I think if you play the chess game with the idea that Knights can often be better than Bishops, you may have some problems in certain positions.
It’s not easy to give a general statement, it really depends on the position.
For example – the Knight collaborates well with the Queen, so with Queens on the board, you might favor the knight as well.
If there are pawns on both sides of the chessboard, you usually prefer the long-ranged Bishop.
Think about it 🙂
Wishing you all the best in your Chess!
If you have any queries please feel free to comment or mail me. I will be pleased to answer any query.
- I had written two articles long ago which is worth a revisit: Which is stronger – Knights or Bishops
- And part 2 which is here – Which is stronger – Bishop or Knight – Part – 2
His Chess workshops and online chess classes can be booked in advance based on appointment.
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