Relative values of the chess forces
Thursday, 13. August 2009
It is imperative that you know the value of the various men so that you make an informed decision when you trade your men. You certainly don’t want to give up a strong one for a weak one. If a player discovers that you actually don’t know the relative value of your men, he can exploit that and trade his weaker men for your stronger ones. He can consequently use this advantage to checkmate or to queen a pawn and then to checkmate.
The value of a chessman is determined by the maneuverability and range, the number of squares it can cross in one move, the number of squares it can control, how rapidly it can infiltrate an enemy positions, and by how dangerous a threat it can pose to the enemy. Through experience the relative value of chessmen has been determined as follows:
Queen-9 points.
Rook-5 points.
Bishop-3 points
Knight-3 points
Pawn-1 point
As the King cannot be captured, it has not been included in the above list. In the board’s center it actually controls eight squares, while in the corner it controls a mere three squares.
The King differs from the other men in that its value cannot be determined by its strength. In the opening and in the middle game the King is a weak piece that must be safely guarded. When the King is not in danger of being checkmated an opponent’s men, the King’s power increases considerably, and its strength varies from that of a Bishop to that of a Rook.
The strongest piece is therefore the queen which when at the center controls 27 squares. At the corner, it is weaker but still controls 21 squares. Following the Queen is the Rook which controls 14 squares no matter its position. Following the Rook is the Bishop which controls 13 squares from a central position but only seven squares from a corner.
Though the Bishop can control as many squares as the Rook, the Bishop is much weaker. This is because it can only move on squares of one color, and thus cannot threaten enemy pieces on squares of the other color. The Queen, Rook, and Bishop are all classified as long range pieces as they can attack hostile pieces at any distance. The Knight controls eight squares from a central position and only two from a corner.
The Knight controls fewer squares than the Bishop, and unlike the Bishop, it s a short-range piece. This means that it can only attack pieces which are nearby.However,it has a greater movement and penetration, as it can easily jump over the other pieces, and it can also attack enemy pieces on both the white and the dark squares. Taking into considerations the above pros and cons, the Knight and the Bishop are said to be of the same value.
The a pawn and h-pawn category of the Rook pawn control only one square each, while the other pawns all control two squares each. As you may have already known, the pawns are the weakest units in the chess army but there role should not be underestimated. Now that you know the basics, visit Chess Blog for more chess tips and chess strategies.
