The bishop may move any number of squares in a diagonal direction until it is prevented from continuing by another piece.

Each player begins with two bishops, one originally situated on a light square, the other on a dark square. Because of the nature of their movement, the bishops always remain on the same colored squares.

The bishop is a powerful piece. It is roughly equal in power to a knight or three pawns. Nevertheless, the bishop is a great piece to have in open situations when it can range the board. The knight is better in cluttered situations where it can utilize its ability to jump over other pieces.