Ruthless Bishop Moves in Chess
Third to the queen and second to the rook in strategy value, bishops in chess operate ruthlessly. They often seem to come out from nowhere and suddenly attack with devastating effects. Here are some deadly features of this chess piece.
Though limited to two basic moves—diagonal left or right—bishops mostly figure in unrelenting assaults against the king or queen. They can either provide the main back up support or execute the final kill themselves. They can travel long distances—from edge to edge or corner to corner.
Often, bishops can hide somewhere in the distance, crowded by several pieces from view. Then, when the right opportunity and opening comes—when their path is cleared of blockades—bishops can swiftly glide across the board and mercilessly take an unsuspecting enemy official.
Each player is provided two bishops initially. The king and queen have their own bishops each. One bishop rules the diagonal black squares, the other the white squares. They can never share square colors, though. They can go back and forth the long or short diagonal distances, crisscross on the board several times, and abruptly enter and leave enemy territory.
When playing the bishops, we should be wary against enemy queen, rooks, and knights which have powers to counter bishops. But they are also never safe from bishop attacks. Enemy king and pawns are no match against them.
Bishops work well with our queen when checkmating the enemy king and queen, and with our knights in taking other enemy pieces. However, a bishop works poorly with a knight or a rook when planning on assaulting the enemy king, especially at near end of the game when the opponent has only the king and we're confined to 12 last moves. In this situation, it's better to have a bishop working with the queen.
Worst scenario is when we have only the king and a bishop to check a lone enemy king with. Hence, it's best to have 2 knights or 2 rooks or the queen working with our bishops in chess.
It's a good play to have one bishop joining our assault team in enemy territory and the other just kept from a distance, like a sniper, and waiting for the right opportunity to move in or give support. Bishops in chess are among versatile pieces that can do lots of useful work to strategize a win. They can help queens and other pieces rule diagonal territories in the game.