Bishop

• Type: Wizard's Chess Piece, Enchanted Statue
• Owners: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Temporarily commanded by Ron Weasley
• Maker: Enchanted by Minerva McGonagall

The Bishop is a life-sized, animated chess piece, part of a gigantic Wizard's Chess set. Carved from what appeared to be black stone, it stands taller than a first-year Hogwarts student. Like the other black pieces in its set, the Bishop is described as having no face. It is designed to resemble the traditional Bishop piece in the game of chess, likely featuring a mitre and clerical-style robes. It moves and acts according to the verbal commands given by a player.

The Bishop is enchanted to play Wizard's Chess with a high degree of autonomy and physical force. Its primary magical properties include:

• Animated Movement: The piece moves across the chessboard according to the rules of chess and in response to a player's commands. It moves diagonally across any number of unoccupied squares.
• Violent Capture: In Wizard's Chess, capturing an opponent's piece is a physical and destructive act. The Bishop, like its fellow pieces, is capable of attacking and shattering an opposing piece when capturing it.
• Vulnerability: Conversely, the Bishop can be captured and destroyed by an opposing piece. When taken, it is violently smashed and dragged from the board, rendered inert.

The Bishop was part of the enormous Wizard's Chess set created by Professor Minerva McGonagall as one of the seven magical obstacles guarding the Philosopher's Stone. This security measure was put in place in the Forbidden Corridor on the third floor of Hogwarts during the 1991-1992 school year. In June 1992, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger encountered the chess set on their mission to protect the Stone from Professor Quirrell. To pass, they had to take the place of three of the black chess pieces and win a game against the white side. Ron, an expert player, took command of the game, replacing a black Knight.

The Bishop played a small but crucial role in the climax of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. During the life-sized chess game, Ron Weasley recognized that a sacrifice was necessary to secure victory and allow Harry Potter to proceed. Ron commanded the black Bishop to move to square H3. This was a deliberate sacrificial move, as it placed the Bishop in the path of the powerful White Queen. The Queen promptly moved and smashed the Bishop to the floor, dragging it off the board. This sacrifice was a critical step in Ron's strategy, clearing the way for Harry, who was playing as a Castle, to checkmate the enemy King. The Bishop's sacrifice directly foreshadowed Ron's own self-sacrifice moments later in the same game.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the destruction of the Bishop is shown in dramatic detail. The White Queen stabs the stone Bishop through its torso with her sword, causing it to shatter into pieces. (film)