bad bishop

After reading the bishop theory, it still not clear to me.

Ok, i understand that a bishop behind own pawns of the same color with pawns more or less blocked is bad, but they said it's not important in the opening, but it is in the endgame. So at some point in the middlegame there is a critical moment where the bishop becomes "bad".

The advice is to try to exchange your bad bishop for something valuable (a strong N) and keep as much as possible your good one and vice-versa with opponent B and N.
But it happens often in my games, i do this and then later the pawns advance, the color on which the pawns chains are based change, and the bishop that stay on the board becomes bad, while i cry for the other i exchanged earlier...

I've not got that far yet but I imagine that in the endgame things are more serious because they are permanent, i.e pawns fixed essentially forever on those squares so the bishop will never be able to travel through the centre for example.

If the centre is still mobile or dynamic a bishop isn't really bad as advancing or exchanging pawns can lead to it becoming very active. Also in the opening and middlegame, when they are more pieces on the board, even a 'bad' bishop can perform a useful role.

In the endgame though if its your light squared bishop and your opponents knight and the your central pawns are blocked on light squares your in for a miserable time most likely.

So I guess I'm saying a bishop is only truly bad once the fate of the center pawns has been permenantly decided and there are few other pieces on the board so your remaining pieces must do more work. If your bishop can't move through the centre in an endgame and its the only piece you have you're in trouble.

If you have a 'bad' bishop but with rooks each on both sides and your bishop is holding your central pawn chain together and keeping a file closed to prevent intrusion from the enemy rooks then even though its mobility is restricted it's performing a valuable role so the fact it's bad isn't a problem. But if the rooks come off..........

And remember, a bad bishop can guard good pawns.

I've read this somewhere.
Whose famous chessplayer quote is it from ?

Suba

I got it from Soltis, but I don't remember where he got it from

I have just played a (corresp.) game with 2 bad bishops (yes, yes, this can happen).
And you know what ? I feel very inconfortable.

For some reason i played the Caro Kahn, in a way i never do, and here is the result, awful.



NB: please do not give lines to continue, since the game is still in progress.

But i do understand now what is "piece out of play" and "bad bishop" more than if someone explained it to me for hours !
The bishops are niceloy blocked, aren't they ?

lol.