Bishops

Today I learned that there are good bishops, bad bishops, and active bishops (which can be either good or bad). A good bishop is one that has open diagonals, a bad bishop is one that is blocked by pawns, and an active bishop is simply one that is playing an active role in the game, putting pressure on an important space. To turn a bad bishop to a good bishop you can either open up the diagonals by moving your other pawns or pieces, or by maneuvering the bishop so that it is outside the pawn chain. Also, since bishops are the only pieces on the board that can access only one color square, they work best in pairs, and it's possible to end in a stalemate with a bishop and a rook-pawn.