Bishop pair: two bishops for both colors

In short

A bishop moves far, but always only on squares of one color. It cannot influence what happens on the other color. If you have both bishops, this gap is closed.

Nimzowitsch counts the bishop pair neither among his elements nor among his stratagems. For him it is a separate branch of the army, that is, a special kind of troops. He still discusses it so that you know the dangers of an enemy bishop pair.

If both bishops aim at the castled king along neighboring diagonals, Nimzowitsch calls them Horwitz bishops. Often one of them forces a pawn move that opens the way for the other. Two bishops can also escort their own pawns forward and so hem in the enemy knights.

In the endgame Nimzowitsch wants to turn the advantage of the bishops into a visible advantage, such as active against passive pieces. In closed positions, on the other hand, the bishops are weaker. Against a knight in the center that nobody can attack, they achieve remarkably little, in his words.

Lesson 41 practices how two bishops work together. In the games against Leonhardt and Gregory, Nimzowitsch secures the two bishops for himself. Watch how they act together.

Summarized by the editors in their own words. This is not a quotation.

How to fight back against the bishop pair

Against Leonhardt, Nimzowitsch gives up a pawn early and gets both bishops for it. His opponent underestimates them, he writes, and loses quickly. As a remedy he names prophylaxis. You exchange one of the bishops or block its diagonal with a pawn.

It also helps to keep the position closed. Against Brinckmann, White has the two bishops. Nimzowitsch therefore avoids any early opening of the position and limits one bishop with a pawn move.

Keeping the two bishops

Against Gregory, Nimzowitsch gets both bishops early and wants to keep them. First he makes sure that White cannot open the position with a pawn advance. Only much later do the bishops come into their own. In the endgame they maneuver for a long time against a white rook.

Today’s view

Today, too, the bishop pair counts as an advantage, above all in open positions with free diagonals. But it does not win by itself. As with Nimzowitsch, what counts is whether the bishops find targets in the concrete position.

Where to find it in Nimzowitsch

• My System: II. Teil, 3d Die Läufer original text not yet published

  Why two bishops are strong, their typical cases and their weakness in closed positions.

• Chess Praxis: 4. Der isolierte Damenbauer, die zwei Hängebauern Die zwei Läufer original text not yet published

  Introduction to the section on the isolani, hanging pawns and the two bishops, with a pointer to the bishop pair games.

• Chess Praxis: Partie 69 (original text)

  Nimzowitsch – Leonhardt: a pawn sacrifice for the two bishops, and prophylaxis as the remedy.

• My System: Nachtrag, 3. Die revolutionäre Theorie wird in revolutionäre Praxis umgesetzt. Die Stammpartie des ideellen Damengambits original text not yet published

  Gregory – Nimzowitsch: Black keeps the two bishops, keeps the center fixed and wins a long endgame.

• Chess Praxis: Partie 46 (original text)

  Brinckmann – Nimzowitsch: Black blocks the white bishops and avoids any early opening.

In the course

• The bishop pair
• Brinckmann – Nimzowitsch, Kolding 1923
• Gregory – Nimzowitsch, St Petersburg 1914
• Nimzowitsch – Leonhardt, Ostend 1907