Which is better in chess: The Bishop or the Knight?

Question

Yeah, I know in chess math they are both worth the same amount, but really, which do you think is better.

I think its the bishop for most of the game but the knight at the end.

Answer 1

I like the knights better.

Answer 2

I agree with you. I think that in the beginning the bishop is better because it's moves are predictable. The knight is better for at the end, and because of its movement it can make checks easily by confusing your opponent, unless of course you are pros :)  

Answer 3

it depends on the position. if u have a closed position the knight works better. if there is an open position the bishop is better because there are long diagonals for the bishop to move on.

Answer 4

Well i agree with the other guys its all about the positions and time of the game.

Answer 5

as a game based the bishop is better during the game but the knight is best for the end of the game is it can win you the match.

Answer 6

the knight can easily trap other pieces because of its unique movement. i find this to be better to my advantage than the bishops. however in points based chess the bishop is worth slightly more than the knight making it a piece you would want more than the knight.

Answer 7

Depends on the situation- if you want to go long distances diagonally, the bishop's the most use.

If you're relatively close and want to jump over other pieces- the knight's your man!

Answer 8

One knight is often better than just one bishop.  But two bishops is better than two knights.  

Answer 9

bishop

Answer 10

Yes, often it's true that the bishop is better for most of the game,

but the knight is better at the end.  

Both pieces are worth about three pawns, yet

they are completely different from one another.

The bishop is long-range artillery, while the knight is a slow hopper.

The knight can tour the whole board, but half the board is off-limits to the bishop.

The bishops can "lose" moves in an endgame, but the knight can jump over pieces.

Imprtant considerations are: open vs closed positions, and endings with pawns.

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Open vs Closed Positions:

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The bishop is better than the knight in open positions.

The long-range power of a bishop shows itself best when no pawns block its diagonals. In this way a bishop can sweep from one end to the board to another quite easily.

The knight is better than the bishop in closed positions.

This is for two reasons: one, because there are many support points provided by central pawns, and two, their ability to police squares of both colours and jump over other pawns means they are relatively unaffected by the pawns.

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Endgames with pawns:

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The bishop is better than the knight in endings with pawns on both sides of the board.

Again, the bishop shows its long-range powers best by supporting its own pawns to queen while stopping the enemy pawns at long distance.

The knight is better than the bishop in endings with pawns on one side of the board.

This is because pawns on one side of the board make light of a bishop's long-range powers, while a knight does not need these long-range powers and can use its ability to jump on squares of both colours.

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Additional Topics:

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At the site listed in my source, there is discussion about

how to make your bishops and your knights stronger pieces.

Topics include:

When the bishop is superior to the knight

When the knight is superior to the bishop

How to play against the bishop pair

How to play against the knights

Good bishops vs. bad bishops

Opposite-coloured bishops

Knights and their support points

Outposts and holes

Knights are superior blockaders.

Answer 11

Knight is the best. It is so powerful that it makes unpredictable and sudden moves and smart checks

Answer 12

I think one Knight is better than one Bishop.

One Bishop is useless on half the squares while one Knight can check and fork.

Two Bishops are extremelly powerful but you always run the risk of losing one and then you would be better off with a Knight.

Answer 13

Depends on the pawns.  A good knight is waaaay better than a bad bishop.

Then again, with few pawns, two bishops is waaay better than two knights.

There is more likely few pawns left, but I've had my head handed to me by the good knight vs. bad bishop.:)

Oh, technically the knight is "3" and the Bishop "3 and a third."