Knowing the ValueYour Chess Pieces

Before you start to play chess, it is important that you know the values of the pieces. Here is a short summary on that subject...

More important than the number of pieces each player posseses is the value of those pieces. The player with the greater total value of his/her chess pieces will usually have the advantage in the game. So, adding up the value of each player's men is a crucial step in making decisions throughout the game.

The pawn is the least valuable piece, so it is a convenient unit of measure. It moves slowly, and can never go backward.

Knights and Bishops are approximately equal, worth about three pawns each. The Knight is the only piece that can jump over other men. The Bishops are speedier, but each one can reach only half the squares.

A Rook moves quickly and can reach every square; its value is five pawns. A combination of two minor pieces (Knights and Bishops) can often subdue a Rook.

A Queen is worth nine pawns, almost as much as two Rooks. It can move to the greatest number of squares in most positions.

The King can be a valuable fighter, too, but we do not evaluate its strength because it cannot be traded.

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More tips to come!

James