A bishop blocked by its own pawns is the textbook definition of 'bad.'
Step 1 of 3
Good vs bad bishop
Concept
Good vs bad bishop
A bishop blocked by its own same-color pawns is bad: no diagonals, just a tall pawn. A bishop with pawns on the opposite color is good. Trade the bad one, keep the good one.
Remember
• Bad bishop: blocked by your own same-color pawns.
• Good bishop: pawns on the opposite color, diagonals wide open.
• Trade your bad bishop for the opponent's good one whenever possible.
• In closed positions, a bad bishop is worth less than a knight.