Two bishops, every square
A bishop spends the whole game on squares of one color. Two bishops, one on each color, can together reach every square on the board. If you still have both when your opponent has given one up, usually for a knight, you have the bishop pair.
The advantage is usually counted as small, but it lasts. It is often biggest in open positions, where the diagonals are clear, and when there are pawns on both wings. In closed positions, with locked pawns, the knights can be just as good or better.
Where the bishop pair comes from
Often from the opening. In the Nimzo-Indian Black gives the bishop for the knight on c3, and White gets the bishop pair. In the Berlin endgame of the Ruy Lopez it is the other way around: White gives the bishop for the knight on c6 as early as move six.
Capablanca did what the plan against the bishop pair calls for: he offered to trade one of the bishops. After the trade the advantage was gone, and the game was decided by quite different things. Read about them on the page about pawn structures.
The plan with the bishop pair
- Open the position. Pawns that are traded give the bishops open diagonals.
- Keep the pawns mobile, so that the knights get no fixed squares.
- Keep both. Don't trade off a bishop without getting something better back.
- Aim at the king. Two bishops on open diagonals against a castled king can decide a game.
The last point showed in Akiba Rubinstein's win against Gersz Rotlewi in Łódź in 1907. Both had two bishops, but Rubinstein's aimed at White's king, and Rotlewi's bishop on b2 stood behind his own pieces. Now the bishops had the last word.
The plan against the bishop pair
- Keep the position closed. Locked pawns close the diagonals.
- Give the knights fixed squares, ideally outposts where no pawn can chase them away.
- Trade off one of the bishops, like Capablanca. Then the advantage is often gone.
The bishop pair isn't always worth keeping. Against Judit Polgár in 2002, Garry Kasparov gave one of his bishops for the knight on f5, which White's pawn on g4 protected. The game is among the famous games.
Common mistakes
- Trading off a bishop for no reason. Then the advantage is gone.
- Closing the position yourself. Locked pawns on the bishops' color turn them into bad bishops.
- Waiting for the advantage to win by itself. The bishop pair is a small advantage that has to be used.
Remember
- Two bishops reach every square, and they do most good in open positions.
- With the bishop pair: open the position and keep both.
- Against the bishop pair: keep the position closed, give the knights fixed squares and trade off a bishop.
Frequently asked questions
What is the bishop pair?
Still having both bishops when your opponent has given one up, usually for a knight. The bishops move on different colors and together can reach every square on the board.
When is the bishop pair strong?
In open positions, where the diagonals are clear and there are pawns on both wings. In closed positions, with locked pawns, the knights can be just as good or better.
How do you play against the bishop pair?
Keep the position closed, give the knights fixed squares and try to trade off one of the bishops. Then the advantage is often gone.
Updated November 14, 2026