<P> Less experienced players tend to underrate the bishop compared to the knight because the knight can reach all squares and is more adept at forking . More experienced players understand the power of the bishop (Mednis 1990: 2). </P> <P> Bishops usually gain in relative strength towards the endgame as more pieces are captured and more open lines become available on which they can operate . A bishop can easily influence both wings simultaneously, whereas a knight is less capable of doing so . In an open endgame, a pair of bishops is decidedly superior to either a bishop and a knight, or two knights . A player possessing a pair of bishops has a strategic weapon in the form of a long - term threat to trade down to an advantageous endgame . </P> <P> Two bishops vs. king can force checkmate, whereas two knights cannot . A bishop and knight can force mate, but with far greater difficulty than two bishops . </P> <P> In certain positions a bishop can by itself lose a move (see triangulation and tempo), while a knight can never do so . The bishop is capable of skewering or pinning a piece, while the knight can do neither . A bishop can in some situations hinder a knight from moving . In these situations, the bishop is said to be "dominating" the knight . </P>

Can a bishop take a king in chess