Chess strategy
What Is a Bad Bishop in Chess?
A bad bishop is a bishop whose own pawns are fixed on squares of its color, so the pawns block its diagonals. A good bishop is one whose pawns stand on the opposite color, leaving its diagonals open.
Example
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7
In the French Advance, Black's pawns on d5 and e6 stand on light squares. Black's light-squared bishop on d7 looks at its own pawns and has very little scope, a typical bad bishop.
How to tell a good bishop from a bad one
Look at your center pawns, especially the ones that cannot easily move. If they stand on the same color as your bishop, that bishop is bad. If they stand on the other color, it is good, because the pawns control the squares the bishop cannot.
A bad bishop is not necessarily a weak piece in every position. A bishop that is bad by structure can still be active if it is outside its pawn chain, for example on b5 or g4 in front of the pawns rather than behind them.
How to fix a bad bishop
There are three main ideas. Trade it, often for the opponent's good bishop. Activate it by bringing it outside the pawn chain. Or change the pawn structure with a pawn break so the bishop's diagonals open.
In the French, Black often plays ...b6 and ...Ba6 to trade the light-squared bishop, or plays ...f6 to open lines. In many King's Indian structures, the dark-squared bishop on g7 is blocked by e5 and d6 but becomes strong once Black plays ...f5 and ...f4.
Bad bishops in the endgame
In the endgame a bad bishop is a real problem. The pawns on its color need protecting, and the opponent's king or knight can use the squares of the other color without being challenged. A good knight against a bad bishop is one of the most common winning structures.
Common questions
Is a bad bishop always bad?
No. It can still defend its own pawns, and if it gets outside the pawn chain it can be active. The label describes its relation to the pawns, not its current activity.
Should I put my pawns on the color of my bishop?
In general, put fixed pawns on the opposite color of your remaining bishop. Then the bishop and the pawns control different squares and complement each other.
Keep learning
Find these moments in your own games.
Paste a game into the free analyzer to find the moves that cost you, with each mistake explained in plain English. Three analyses are free, with no email or card.
Analyze a game free →Practice with a coach beside you.
Play a human-like opponent at your level while the coach explains your moves as you go. The first coached game is free.
Play a free coached game →