How do bishops move in chess? Diagonals, any distance

A bishop moves diagonally, as far as you like, and stops at the first piece in its path. It cannot jump and it never moves in a straight line along a rank or a file. Because a diagonal never changes colour, a bishop is stuck on the colour of square it started on for the entire game. Tap the white bishop on d4 below to see the shape. Every other piece is on chess pieces names and moves.

A bishop on d4, a dark square, with thirteen squares under it. Move it anywhere you like and every square it can reach is still dark.

How far can a bishop move?

As far as the board allows, in one of four directions: up-left, up-right, down-left, down-right. From d4 that is thirteen squares. From a corner it is seven, the single long diagonal and nothing else. A bishop in the middle covers roughly twice as much ground as one in the corner, though the gap is nowhere near as brutal as it is for a knight.

It captures by landing on an enemy piece and taking its place, and the capture always happens at the end of the line. A bishop cannot slide past a piece and carry on. The first thing in its way ends the move: if it is yours, the bishop stops before it; if it is theirs, the bishop may take it and stop there.

Light-squared and dark-squared bishops

Each player starts with two bishops, one on a light square and one on a dark square. For white those are f1 and c1. Nothing either bishop does can ever change that. A dark-squared bishop will touch exactly thirty-two squares over its whole life and never once set foot on the other thirty-two.

That is why the pair is worth more than the two pieces separately. Together they cover every square on the board, and on an open position with clear diagonals two bishops pointing at the same king are genuinely dangerous. Trade one away and there is a hole you cannot patch: no other piece you own guards that colour in the same sweeping way. Think twice before swapping the bishop that matches the colour of the squares around your own king.

Bishops get blocked by their own pawns

The pawns on d4 and f4 stand on dark squares, the same colour as the bishop, and they wall it in. Four dots left, all of them pointing backwards: c1, d2, f2 and g1.

A bishop with no diagonals is called a bad bishop, and your own pawns are usually the ones doing it. On an empty board that bishop on e3 would have eleven squares. Two pawns take away seven of them, and nothing in the position is even attacking it.

The fix is a habit rather than a move: put your pawns on the opposite colour to your bishop. Pawns on light squares leave the dark-squared bishop free to breathe, and the light squares are then covered by the bishop that lives on them. When the pawns and the bishop end up on the same colour, one of them is in the way, and pawns cannot move backwards to get out of it.

The long diagonal

From b2 the bishop sees the whole long diagonal to h8 and can take the rook sitting there. Everything in between has to be clear for that to work, which is what makes an open board good for bishops.

The two longest lines on the board, a1 to h8 and h1 to a8, are worth thinking about separately, because a bishop on one of them attacks a square right next to the enemy king. Putting a bishop on b2 or g2 on purpose has a name, the fianchetto, and it is a common way to start a game.

The catch is that a long diagonal only pays when it is empty. A bishop aimed at a wall of pawns is doing nothing at all, and a single pawn placed in the way switches it off. That is the trade with bishops: enormous reach, and an absolute dependence on the board being open.

What is a bishop worth, and is it better than a knight?

Three points, the same as a knight and two less than a rook. Giving up a bishop to win a rook is a good trade; giving up a rook to win a bishop is not.

Bishop against knight is closer than any other comparison in chess and the answer depends entirely on the position. Bishops want open boards, long clear diagonals and pawns on both sides. Knights want closed positions with the pawns locked together, because they hop over the traffic and a bishop cannot. Most strong players take the pair of bishops if offered a free choice, and then spend the game trying to open the position up.

Frequently asked questions

Can a bishop move backwards?

Yes. All four diagonal directions are available, so a bishop can retreat towards your own side of the board as easily as it advances. Only pawns are stuck going one way.

Can a bishop change colour?

No. Every diagonal step lands on the same colour square, so a bishop that starts on a dark square stays on dark squares for the whole game. The only way to get a bishop on the other colour is to promote a pawn into one.

Can a bishop jump over pieces?

No. It stops at the first piece in its path, whoever owns it. The knight is the only piece in chess that jumps.

Is a bishop better than a knight?

They are both worth about three points. A bishop is better on an open board with clear diagonals, a knight is better in a closed position full of locked pawns, and two bishops working together are usually rated a little above two knights.

How many squares can a bishop move?

Any number, in one diagonal direction per move, until something blocks it or the board runs out. From the middle of an empty board a bishop covers thirteen squares, and from a corner it covers seven.

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