Tip: Exploiting Your Bishop Pair 1 of 3

Trade pawns in the center to open up diagonals. The fewer pawns there are in the center, the more scope your bishops will have. Aiming both of your bishops at the opponent's king also increases the chance for tactical and mating combinations. Remember, without pawns in the center, enemy knights won't be able to use a centralized outpost.

If you are reading this instead of viewing a chess puzzle or game, then you must enable JavaScript on this website.

[Event "rated untimed match"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Unknown"]
[Black "Unknown059"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "David Hayes"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[FEN "5r1k/1b2q1bp/1p6/pBp5/P3pr2/2P1N3/1P2QPP1/R2R2K1 w - - 0 1"]
[SetUp "1"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "0"]

1. Rd7 Qg5 2. Rxb7 Be5 3. Nf1 { The knight is the king's greatest defender
holding the dark squares. } ( { White dare not try: } 3. Rf1 Rh4 4. g3 Bxg3 5. fxg3 Qxg3+ 6. Ng2 Qh2# ) 3... Rxf2 4. Qxe4 { White wins with a large material
advantage. } 1-0