The Chess Mind

One of the most common imbalances in chess is that of bishop vs. knight. In the abstract, the pieces are of approximately equal value, but when we look at real positions it's often the case that one piece or the other confers a real advantage to its owner. It's probably true that bishops are more often advantageous, but again, specifics rule here. As all of you have surely noticed, there are many times when the knight is the better piece, and in this week's ChessVideos show you'll see two such cases.

In both, there's a situation where the side with the bishop has all its pawns on the same color square as the bishop, and gets dominated on the opposite color complex. The knight has all the fun there, but turning it into a win often takes some doing. The value of this week's presentation is that it will help us figure out how to win such positions, and there's the further benefit that once one grasps some of the main ideas, they will work in a great many cases. So invest a little time (but no money) now, and enjoy the dividends later!

The show is here, free (but registration is required), and available on demand for about the next month or so.