Pair of runners
The bishop pair is a term used in chess and means that a party to the black and the white-squared both runners has on the board are available. In the basic position, both black and white have a pair of bishops, whereby the earliest possible abandonment of the pair of bishops can be made by White on move 3 of the game, for example in some variants of the Trompowsky opening 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 . After 2 ... d5 or 2. ... c5 White exchanges usually coinciding with the third Lxf6 off and has to exf6 and gxf6 for the task of the rotor pair the advantage of a weakened black pawn structure .
The expression is mostly used in situations in which only one of the two players has both runners or the task of the pair of runners is in the room by one player. “Black has the pair of bishops” usually implies that White no longer has both bishops, mostly because he has swapped at least one of his bishops for a black knight, as in the opening mentioned above .
Advantages and disadvantages
A single runner is effective as a long-step figure even from a greater distance, but due to its connection to the field color, it can only step on half of the board. In the case of the pair of runners , the other runner compensates for this disadvantage. The designation of this positional feature by its own term is therefore explained by the strength of two bishops compared to any other two light pieces , whereby this is especially true in open positions - i.e. positions with only a few pieces and blocking pawns - because of the range of the bishops . In finals in particular , a pair of bishops is therefore considered to be superior to a pair of knights or a knight and a bishop, although a single knight and a single bishop are otherwise roughly equivalent (see: pawn units ). The strength of a pair of bishops is also shown, for example, in the elementary mate lead against a naked king . While mating with a pair of knights without additional pieces on the board cannot be forced with the best possible counterplay and mating with a knight and bishop is a complex task even for strong players, mating with the bishop pair is relatively simple.
In closed positions, individual bishops and the pair of bishops are usually at a disadvantage, especially if they are behind their own pawns and cannot influence the opposing camp.
If both players no longer have their two bishops in a game, the player with a pair of bishops should strive for an opening of the game, whereas the player without a pair of bishops should keep the position closed for as long as possible or swap at least one bishop .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The pair of runners. Accessed June 29, 2020 (German).