Bishop Movements

Bishops are unique in their movement pattern, and they play a significant role in controlling the board and formulating strategies. A chess bishop is often depicted as a tall, slender piece with a distinctive curved top that resembles a bishop's miter or hat. Each player has two bishops, one on the light squares and one on the dark squares. The color of the bishop determines the color of the squares it can move on. Here are the list of movements:

  • Bishops can move any number of squares diagonally in any direction, as long as there are no other pieces blocking their path.

    King movement free

    • The bishop can move diagonally right up - e6, f7, g8
    • The bishop can move diagonally left up - c6, b7, a8
    • The bishop can move diagonally right down - e4, f3, g2, h1
    • The bishop can move diagonally left down - c4, b3, a2

  • Each player has two bishops, one moving on light squares and the other on dark squares. This means a bishop will always stay on the color of square it starts on, affecting the range of squares it can access.

    King movement free

    • Bishop on white square can only move diagonally on white squares. On our example, bishop can move diagonally from b7 to h1.
    • Bishop on black square can only move diagonally on black squares. On our example, bishop can only move to g1.

Bishops can be strategically placed to control long diagonals and influence the board's center. They can also work together to create threats and tactics. Remember that bishops cannot jump over other pieces, and their movement is restricted to diagonal lines.

Next Chess Lesson: Queen Movements