Good bishop
A good bishop is one whose own pawns mainly stand on the other color from the squares it travels on, so its diagonals stay open and it can reach the enemy camp.
Judging a bishop means looking at its own pawns, not at the bishop alone. A bishop moves on one color only. When most of your pawns stand on the other color, nothing of yours blocks its path: it can sweep along long diagonals, switch wings in one move and guard pawns from a distance.
To spot one, test its range. Does it see squares in the enemy half of the board? Is it free of the pawn chain? A familiar case is the light-squared bishop that Black develops outside the pawn chain in the Caro-Kann Defense before the pawns close in.
Holding a good bishop gives you a plan. Keep your pawns off its color when you can, and aim the bishop at weaknesses on that color. The opposing bishop of the same color is its natural rival, so if the other side has a bad one, think twice before trading yours, since it may be the source of your whole edge.
A simple test: put a finger on each of your pawns, note the color of its square, and count. The bishop that travels on the color with fewer pawns is your good bishop.
Compare it with Caro-Kann structure. The solid Black setup with pawns on c6 and d5 against White's e4 pawn, often leading to a healthy pawn formation where Black can develop the light-squared bishop outside the chain.
A neighboring idea is Knight versus bishop. Knight versus bishop describes positions where one side has a knight and the other a bishop; the better piece depends on the pawn structure, favoring the bishop in open play and the knight in closed positions.
Compare it with Color complex. A color complex is a group of squares of one color around a king or pawn structure that turns weak when the defender has traded the bishop that guards them and left pawns on the opposite color.
Strategic ideas such as "Good bishop" show up in your games as small decisions, move after move. A first lesson with George Li reviews those decisions and turns them into a study plan.
Related terms
A bad bishop is one whose own pawns stand mostly on its color, where they block its diagonals, leaving it with little range and few targets to attack.
The bishop moves any number of squares along a diagonal, as long as no piece stands in the way, so each bishop stays on one color of square for the entire game.
Knight versus bishop describes positions where one side has a knight and the other a bishop; the better piece depends on the pawn structure, favoring the bishop in open play and the knight in closed positions.
The bishop pair is the advantage of owning both a light-squared and a dark-squared bishop while the opponent does not, a long-range asset that grows stronger as the position opens up.
A color complex is a group of squares of one color around a king or pawn structure that turns weak when the defender has traded the bishop that guards them and left pawns on the opposite color.
Piece activity describes how much influence a piece exerts, measured by the squares it controls, the targets it eyes and the freedom it has to move, so an active piece is worth more than its nominal value.
Openings where it occurs
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.