Good vs Bad Bishops

When pawns help or hinder your bishop — the key to bishop evaluation.

French Defense Caro-Kann Queen's Gambit Declined Any closed position

Key Positions

White's Bd3 is 'good' (pawns on dark squares) — Black's e7 bishop is restricted

Black's light-squared bishop is 'bad' — blocked by e6 and d5 pawns

Both bishops are 'good' — pawns don't block their diagonals

A 'good' bishop is one whose pawns are on the opposite color — it has open diagonals to operate on.
Fix your opponent's pawns on the same color as their bishop to make it 'bad'.
In positions with a good bishop vs bad bishop, use your bishop's range to create threats on both sides of the board.
Trade your bad bishop or activate it by placing it outside the pawn chain (e.g., ...b6 + ...Ba6 in the QGD).

If you have a bad bishop, try to trade it for your opponent's good bishop.
...b6, ...Ba6 Redirect a bad bishop outside the pawn chain to give it life.
Place pawns on the opposite color of your bishop — keep the diagonals clear.
A bad bishop isn't always bad if it's defending critical squares — context matters.

Put your pawns on the opposite color of your bishop. A 'good' bishop has freedom; a 'bad' bishop is imprisoned by its own pawns.

Question 1 of 3

What makes a bishop 'bad'?