Which is best, a Queen and a pawn, or two rooks?

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20th April 2008, 02:14pm
#1
by Gaby
Bayamon Puerto Rico
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 903
20th April 2008, 02:30pm
#2
by Aristokatt
Eluding the authorities. United States
Member Since: Dec 2007
Member Points: 1124
hi
22nd April 2008, 02:03pm
#3
by Joe14
Norte Puerto Rico
Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 1496
eso depende
 la reina con el peon
22nd April 2008, 03:42pm
#4
by jega
Puerto Rico
Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 293
i guess it depends on the positions of the pieces,but what do I knowCool
22nd April 2008, 03:57pm
#5
by payet_alexandre
Montpellier France
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 159

A queen and a pawn is better but I'm sure there are some positions were the rooks would win.

Queen 10

Rook 5

Bishop or Knight 3

Pawn 1

So without seeing the position that is 11 for the Queen and the pawn and 10 for the two rooks. 

But in game endings pawns are MUCH more important than in openings or middle game.

Basically a pawn which as passed its oposing neighbours is difficult to stop and is therefore a huge threat.

The border pawn has less value also since the experience shows it is harder to promote.

I hope this answers your question.

Best regards.

Alex 


22nd April 2008, 04:30pm
#6
by DeepGreene
Vancouver Canada
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 274

Some people (myself included) value the Queen at 9 points generally, which would make Q+p = R*2, not considering the actual position.  But you can't promote a Rook.  ;-)


22nd April 2008, 04:39pm
#7
by vitali_10
Israel Israel
Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 72
The rooks have to stay on the same row in order to protect each other, because the king has to move under check and can't protect them as was shown. So probably in right playing won't be loss of material, but the rooks are immobilized due to the passed pawn. Only if the queen can bring the black king to the lower left quarter-board by repititious checks, would be mate with king and queen. Unless that it's draw.
22nd April 2008, 05:04pm
#8
by redhotman
mejor pais del mundo Argentina
Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 195

check this game out where my opponent sacrificed two of his rooks for a queen and ended up checkmating me

http://www.chess.com/echess/game.html?id=6556005 

between move 16 and 21

for those of you too lazy, here it is:

 

so yea, i hope this answers ur question 


22nd April 2008, 05:08pm
#9
by likesforests
United States
Member Since: May 2007
Member Points: 3181

Joe14's position was theoretically drawn. He only won because Black stepped into a fork, not because his Q+P was superior to his opponent's R+R.

As far as the general question, in endgames statistically Q (and pawns) beats R+R (and pawns) 55% of the time, and  in equal-material endgames Q+P (and pawns) does significantly better then R+R (and pawns). But the initial positions of the pieces is always an overriding consideration--statistics don't win endgames.


22nd April 2008, 07:17pm
#10
by Marshal_Dillon
New Jersey United States
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 407

Payet,

 

Queen has always been valued at 9 to my knowledge. Two rooks has always been superior to a queen. 


22nd April 2008, 07:20pm
#11
by Gaby
Bayamon Puerto Rico
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 903
Marshal_Dillon wrote:

Payet,

 

Queen has always been valued at 9 to my knowledge. Two rooks has always been superior to a queen. 


Yes, but Im talking about a queen and a pawn, thank you :)


22nd April 2008, 07:53pm
#12
by sstteevveenn
Wales United Kingdom
Member Since: Dec 2007
Member Points: 1110
Just to pick up on something.  Outside past pawns, are especially valuable, not less valuable, in an endgame because your opponent must vacate the rest of the board in order to look after the pawn and stop it promoting.  Meanwhile you can go about your business on the rest of the board.  The only problem comes when you dont have anything on the rest of the board.  Then the pawn can be hard/impossible to promote. 
22nd April 2008, 08:51pm
#13
by Marshal_Dillon
New Jersey United States
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 407
Gaby wrote: Marshal_Dillon wrote:

Payet,

 

Queen has always been valued at 9 to my knowledge. Two rooks has always been superior to a queen. 


Yes, but Im talking about a queen and a pawn, thank you :)

That's funny, I thought I typed "Payet" in my reply, not "Gaby". Oh, wait I did, therefore I was not speaking to you. :) He valued a queen alone at 10, equal to two rooks, which is wrong. Two rooks is greater than a queen. Queen and pawn is only better than two rooks if you can promote the pawn before the two rooks can team up to take it off the board. If you can't promote the pawn, it is a liability because the queen has to protect it from the rooks or you have to have an active king protecting it. If the queen is being used to protect the pawn, you will not be able to use it's full power. The rooks will not be hindered at all. And since a king only moves one square at a time, it wastes moves to use the king as defender. Those moves will be used by the player with the rooks to win either the queen or the pawn from you. 


23rd April 2008, 09:08am
#14
by rich
United Kingdom
Member Since: Jul 2007
Member Points: 9145
Two Bishops, are stronger than 1 knight and 1 rook.
23rd April 2008, 09:12am
#15
by likesforests
United States
Member Since: May 2007
Member Points: 3181

rich> Two Bishops, are stronger than 1 knight and 1 rook.

I don't know who told you this, but it's false in the endgame. In a recent survey of high-level endgames, B+B scored only 43% against R+N. As always, knowing when one is better than the other is much more important than knowing the statistics.


23rd April 2008, 09:19am
#16
by rich
United Kingdom
Member Since: Jul 2007
Member Points: 9145
It's my knowledge I've played chess for 2 years now, and that's what I think.
23rd April 2008, 12:11pm
#17
by likesforests
United States
Member Since: May 2007
Member Points: 3181

rich>  It's my knowledge I've played chess for 2 years now, and that's what I think.

GMs and statistical surveys disagree, but everyone is free to think as they wish. Perhaps it's an indication of which pieces you're most comfortable with? I recall in another thread you said you play better with bishops than with knights. I imagine at the 2550+ level players are very comfortable playing with either piece.


23rd April 2008, 12:31pm
#18
by itaibn
Toronto, Ontario Canada
Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 357
I am currently playing a 2R vs Q+P endgame and I'm almost certain that it's a draw, in my paticular game. However, I doubt this is enough to make generalizations.
23rd April 2008, 01:04pm
#19
by Marshal_Dillon
New Jersey United States
Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 407

B+B > R+N? I'd like to get you over the board some time if you're willing to play with that handicap. Cool

 

At best, if you value bishops slightly higher than knights, you get 7 points (3.5 +3.5) for the two bishops versus 8 points (5+3) for the rook and knight. If you value bishops equal to knights, you only have 6 points to 8. The only way you win with bishops is to pin the knight and rook to each other or to the king so you get a piece for free. Rook, knight and king are also easier to deliver checkmate with in the endgame than bishop, bishop and king. Rook and knight also has the advantage that if I can force you to trade off one of your bishops for my knight, I still have sufficient mating material with my king and rook while you can never mate me with king and bishop. 


25th April 2008, 10:02am
#20
by Chess_Warrior
Bayamon B.O Nuevo Puerto Rico
Member Since: Mar 2008
Member Points: 154
Well I think the queen and the pawn are better, first because the queen is the most dangerous piece and the most powerful and the pawn is important in the ending because if you don't have all material for you to checmate the king you can keep it up with the pawn until he become a queen, rook, knight or bishop, that is my opinion, but still the knight and the rook may be better in some positions.
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