Meet the bishop

We've met the rook, which travels along straight ranks and files, and the knight, which jumps in an L shape. Now it's the bishop's turn. It moves in straight lines too — but its lines are diagonals.

Each player starts with two bishops. White's bishops begin on c1 and f1, while Black's start on c8 and f8. In the starting position, pawns sit just in front of the bishops, so their diagonals aren't clear yet.

Notice that the bishop on c1 can see the friendly pawns on b2 and d2. It defends those squares, but it cannot move there. To bring the bishop into play, one of those pawns will need to move out of the way.

Moving diagonally

A bishop can move one square or several squares along a diagonal in a single turn. It can travel towards the top or bottom of the board, to the left or to the right — as long as it stays on a diagonal and its path is clear.

Imagine a bishop on d4. Its four diagonal directions form a large X. On this nearly empty board, it can reach 13 different squares.

Try following these lines from d4:

• Up and right: e5, f6, g7, h8.
• Up and left: c5, b6, a7.
• Down and right: e3, f2, g1.
• Down and left: c3, b2, a1.

Every one of those squares lies on a diagonal from d4. But d5 is directly above d4, not diagonally connected, so the bishop cannot move there.

A bishop cannot jump over pieces

Unlike the knight, a bishop needs a clear path. Just as with the rook, the first piece on a diagonal matters.

• If it's a friendly piece, the bishop defends it but cannot land there or move through it.
• If it's an opponent's piece, the bishop may be able to capture it, but cannot move past it in the same turn.
• Any piece behind that first piece is hidden from the bishop along that diagonal.

Look at the white bishop on d4. It defends the white pawn on f6, can capture the black pawn on b6, and cannot attack the black pawn on a7 because b6 blocks the line. It also sees a black pawn on c3 and defends a white pawn on f2.

This is worth practising: don't accidentally let your eyes jump over a piece simply because you can see another one farther along the diagonal.

What does a bishop attack or defend?

A bishop attacks the squares along its clear diagonals up to and including the first occupied square. If that square holds one of your pieces, we say the bishop defends it. If it holds an opponent's piece, the bishop can normally capture it.

Here's a simpler example. The bishop on e3 defends a white pawn on c5 and can capture the black pawn on g5.

Use the Available moves and Attacks & defence controls above. Notice why c5 is attacked but not a legal destination for the bishop.

As in the earlier chapters, we're showing movement and attacked squares in simple positions. In a real game, leaving your king in check can make some otherwise possible moves illegal. We'll cover that in the rules chapters.

Light-squared and dark-squared bishops

Here's one of the bishop's most useful — and most unusual — features: it can never change the colour of its squares.

A bishop that begins on a dark square always travels on dark squares. A bishop that begins on a light square always travels on light squares. Every diagonal connects squares of the same colour.

White's bishop on c1 is a dark-squared bishop. Watch its diagonal targets.

White's bishop on f1 is a light-squared bishop.

That explains why each player begins with one bishop on each colour: a single bishop can never cover both colours, but the two bishops together can.

The power of long diagonals

A bishop can influence a square far away without making several moves to get there. That's why clear diagonals can be so useful.

Position matters, though. Compare the bishop on d4, which attacks 13 squares on an otherwise empty board, with one in the corner on a1, which attacks seven.

Now consider a bishop on g2. It looks as though it could influence the long diagonal towards a8. But a friendly pawn on f3 blocks its view, leaving the black pawn on d5 safely out of reach along that line.

That doesn't mean the bishop is useless. It simply means that opening a line could give it more influence later.

Two bishops working together

Your two bishops travel on different square colours. That means they can control different parts of the board without needing to stand on the same diagonal.

Look at these two white bishops: one on c4 (light squares) and the other on f4 (dark squares). Green highlights every square the c4 bishop covers; gold highlights every square the f4 bishop covers. Choose either bishop to trace its diagonals, or Both bishops to compare their coverage.

The bishops don't directly defend one another from these squares. Instead, they complement one another, helping White keep an eye on both colours of squares. We'll talk about the strategic value of two bishops in a later chapter.

Bishop vision: follow the diagonals

Time to practise spotting destinations without relying on the highlights straight away.

1. A bishop is on d4, with nothing in its way. Can it reach g7? What about d7?
2. A bishop is on a1, and the board is otherwise clear. Name the first three squares along its diagonal.
3. A bishop on c1 is sitting on a dark square. Could it ever reach f1, which is light?
4. A bishop on e3 sees a friendly pawn on c5. Does it defend the pawn, capture it, or move past it?

Check your answers: d4–g7: yes; d4–d7: no; a1–b2–c3–d4; c1–f1: never; it defends c5 and cannot move through it.

Have a go yourself

Use the interactive board below. The white bishop starts on e3, with a friendly pawn on c5 and a black pawn on g5. Select the bishop and try a clear diagonal move or capture. Use Restart to return to the starting position and try another option.

This is an ordinary chess position with kings and alternating turns, not the solo challenge below.

Capture Challenge: thinking along diagonals

Ready for a bishop-only puzzle? You'll control one white bishop and need to capture four black pawns. Every move must be a capture, so you can't move to an empty square between captures.

All four targets sit on dark squares, just like your starting bishop. After each capture, look again at the diagonal lines from the bishop's new square. Is the next pawn reachable, or does another pawn block the route?

As in the earlier solo challenges, there are no kings, checks or alternating turns. This is a board-vision exercise, rather than a full game.

There may be more than one successful route. If you reach a position without another legal capture, use Undo or Restart and try a different order.

What to remember

• Each player begins with two bishops: White on c1 and f1, Black on c8 and f8.
• Bishops move diagonally, one square or many, provided the path is clear.
• A bishop cannot jump over other pieces; the first piece on its diagonal stops the line.
• An opposing piece can be captured; a friendly piece is defended, not captured.
• A bishop stays on the same colour of squares for the whole game.
• The two bishops cover different square colours, so they can complement each other.
• Check the bishop's diagonals after every move — the squares it sees may have changed.

Knowledge check

Before moving on, see how much you remember about diagonals, blocked lines, attacked and defended squares, and square colours.