if (a == "b" || "c")

if (a == "b" || a== "c")

if (new[] { "b", "c" }.Contains(a))

||, not found: 26 ms
||, found: 8 ms
array.Contains, not found: 1407 ms
array.Contains, found: 1388 ms
array.Contains, inline array, not found: 1456 ms
array.Contains, inline array, found: 1427 ms
switch-statement, not interned, not found: 26 ms
switch-statement, not interned, found: 14 ms
switch-statement, interned, not found: 25 ms
switch-statement, interned, found: 8 ms

using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Diagnostics;
namespace StackOverflow826081
{
    class Program
    {
        private const Int32 ITERATIONS = 1000000;
        static void Main()
        {
            String a;
            String[] ops = CreateArray();
            Int32 count;
            Stopwatch sw = new Stopwatch();
            Int32 pass = 0;
            Action<String, Int32> report = delegate(String title, Int32 i)
            {
                if (pass == 2)
                    Console.Out.WriteLine(title + ": " + sw.ElapsedMilliseconds + " ms");
            };

            for (pass = 1; pass <= 2; pass++)
            {
                #region || operator

                a = "a";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    if (a == "b" || a == "c")
                    {
                        count++;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("||, not found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                a = "b";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    if (a == "b" || a == "c")
                    {
                        count++;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("||, found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                #endregion

                #region array.Contains

                a = "a";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    if (ops.Contains(a))
                    {
                        count++;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("array.Contains, not found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                a = "b";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    if (ops.Contains(a))
                    {
                        count++;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("array.Contains, found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                #endregion

                #region array.Contains

                a = "a";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    if (CreateArray().Contains(a))
                    {
                        count++;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("array.Contains, inline array, not found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                a = "b";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    if (CreateArray().Contains(a))
                    {
                        count++;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("array.Contains, inline array, found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                #endregion

                #region switch-statement

                a = GetString().Substring(0, 1); // avoid interned string
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    switch (a)
                    {
                        case "b":
                        case "c":
                            count++;
                            break;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("switch-statement, not interned, not found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                a = GetString().Substring(1, 1); // avoid interned string
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    switch (a)
                    {
                        case "b":
                        case "c":
                            count++;
                            break;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("switch-statement, not interned, found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                #endregion

                #region switch-statement

                a = "a";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    switch (a)
                    {
                        case "b":
                        case "c":
                            count++;
                            break;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("switch-statement, interned, not found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                a = "b";
                sw.Start();

                count = 0;
                for (Int32 index = 0; index < ITERATIONS; index++)
                {
                    switch (a)
                    {
                        case "b":
                        case "c":
                            count++;
                            break;
                    }
                }
                sw.Stop();
                report("switch-statement, interned, found", count);
                sw.Reset();

                #endregion
            }
        }

        private static String GetString()
        {
            return "ab";
        }

        private static String[] CreateArray()
        {
            return new String[] { "b", "c" };
        }
    }
}

switch (a) {
   case "b":
   case "c":
      // variable a is either "b" or "c"
      break;
}

if ("bc".Contains(a)) { } // Maybe check a.Length == 1, too.

if ((a[0] & 0x62) == 0x62) { } // Maybe check a.Length == 1, too.

if (new String[] { "b", "c" }.Contains(a)) { }

if(Regex.IsMatch(a, "b|c"))

if(Regex.IsMatch(a, "^(b|c)$"))

[Flags]
enum MyEnum {
    None = 0,
    A = 1,
    B = 2,
    C = 4,
    D = 8
}

//...

MyEnum a = MyEnum.B

if((a & (MyEnum.B | MyEnum.C)) > 0)
    // do something

if((a & MyEnum.B) > 0 || (a & MyEnum.C) > 0)
    // do something

None = 00000
A    = 00001
B    = 00010
C    = 00100
D    = 01000

B 00010
& C 00100
---------
    00110

(B & C) 00110
& (a = B) 00010
---------------
          00010

public static bool Any(object a, params object[] b)
{
    foreach(object item in b)
    {
        if(a == b)
        {
            return true;
        }
    }
    return false;
}