Exchange Values

What are the pieces worth, compared to each other?

	The Pawn	1	Worth more if likely to promote!
	The Knight	3
	The Bishop	3	Worth more if both are retained.
	The Rook	5
	The Queen	9
	The King	n/a	Worth the game!

What are the points good for?

The points listed above are a good expression of the comparative value of the pieces in terms of simple relative values. The points themselves have no bearing on the outcome of a game, but should be used as an effective guide when considering exchanges or sacrifices during play. Points are also used by judges and arbitrators to help determine which player has a winning advantage.

What about the Bishop & Knight?

Some people say that a bishop is worth slightly more than a knight, and give it a value of 3 1/2 points, usually citing the difference that 2 bishops can admininster checkmate, while 2 knights cannot. Another distinction is that a lone bishop can immobilize a knight, but a lone knight cannot immobilize a bishop.

Obviously, bishops can be far more mobile than knights, provided open diagonals - a requirement knights avoid with their ablity to jump over pieces. Also, a pair of bishops can be an authoritive force on the board in the midgame or endgame. The primarily disadvantage of the bishop is that each single bishop can never move to 1/2 the squares on the board. This is an especially telling disadvantage when one bishop is lost - particularly in the engame!

The great thing about knights is their solo operation, their unpredictability coupled with their ability to hop through cluttered lanes. They're fantastic at dancing in and out of danger, and for surprising tactics. Knights are especially fearful and mysterious at scholastic levels of play. Unfortuanately, they have virtually no ability to work in conjunction with each other.

In conclusion, I agree with the established point assignments of equal value. The advantages and disadvatages are too strongly tied to board position, material differences, player styles, and skill levels. So choose between them carefully, with the dynamic consideration which each game deserves!