Beyond the Point System : The Dynamic Value of Chess Pieces

We are familiar with the value of chess pieces. They were designed to help us decide which piece to trade for which one. A bishop for a rook or a pawn for a knight.

Value of Pieces

Pawn = 1

Knight = 3

Bishop = 3

Rook = 5

Queen = 9

However, it is really not correct to give these pieces a certain value. The value of a piece can increase or decrease on the basis of its position, mobility, stage of the game etc. Let us look how the value of a certain chess piece can change.

Centre Knight v\s Knight on Edge

A knight at the centre is more useful and dangerous than a knight at the edge or on the corner of the board. The knight controls squares in the enemy territory and is very useful in attacking the enemy king. However, a knight in the corner or on the edge of the board barely does something. It attacks only two or three or zero squares of the enemy territory.

The Power of Pawn

Has it ever happened to you that you have got a advanced pawn which is two squares away from queening and your opponent is capturing your two knights but you ignore it and make a queen and ultimately win the game. The advanced pawn was more valuable than those two knights. This shows that a advanced pawn has more value than two knights which are worth six points.

There is a chess term called breakthrough. In this you sacrifice knights, bishops, rooks or pawns to create a passed pawn which is unstoppable. 

Bad Bishop v\s Good Bishop

A bishop who is stuck behind its own or enemy pawns is considered a bad bishop. It doesn't have any mobility. It is like a superhero stuck in a crowded elevator. 

On the other hand, a good bishop is the one who can move around the board and controls diagonals. A superhero with real superpowers! 

Therefore, the value of a bishop can increase or decrease depending on it's mobility.

Rooks Unleashed!

A rook in the corner at the beginning of a game is of no use. It just sits there alone talking with with knight untill the knight jumps out. However, in the endgame, rooks can pose to be very powerful. Also in the middle game, a rook controlling an open file becomes more valuable than it's brother. If the rook is on the 7th rank than it becomes ultra more valuable than it's brother who may or may not be controlling a file at that time.

Conclusion

A value of a piece can change depending on it's position, mobility and the stage of game. A knight at a centre is more dangerous than a knight on the rim. A bishop with mobility is more useful than a bishop stuck behind pawns. The value of a rook increases as the endgame comes closer. The piece value system was only made to help players decide whether they should trade a piece for some other piece or not. 

Please tell me in the comments how my blog was. In my next blog, I will compare two chess pieces of same value - the knight and bishop.