but they utterly retard the movements of your Rooks. In an unskilfully
developed game it is a common occurrence to see the victory won before
the defeated player's Rooks have ever moved.

_Concerning the Bishop._--When the game is opened by each party with
King's Pawn to King's 4th square, the _King's Bishop_ is somewhat
superior to the _Queen's_, because it can be sooner brought into play,
and may be made to bear immediately on the King's weak point, his
Bishop's Pawn. It is desirable therefore generally to exchange your
Queen's Bishop or Queen's Knight for the adversary's King's Bishop. The
King's Bishop should rarely or never be played to the Queen's 3d square
before the Queen's Pawn is moved. His best position, as we have remarked
above, is to Queen's Bishop's 4th square, where he attacks the
opponent's King's Bishop's Pawn. If your antagonist then challenges an
exchange of Bishops by moving his Queen's Bishop to King's 3d square, it
is not always prudent to accept it, because although you may double the
Pawns on his King's file, you at the same time afford him an open range
for his King's Rook when he has castled. The best play in such a case
is, therefore, to retreat your King's Bishop to _Queen's Knight's 3d
square_.

Be careful, as a general rule, in an open game, not to move your
Queen's Pawn _one_ square _before_ you bring out the King's Bishop, as
by so doing you leave him but the _King's 2d square_ on which to move,
and there his position is defensive rather than attacking.

If strong in Pawns towards the conclusion of the game, endeavor to get
rid of the enemy's Bishops, because they can impede the march of your
Pawns more readily than either the Rooks or Knights.