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How Much Is A Check Worth In 3 Check?

How Much Is A Check Worth In 3 Check?

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TenThousandDays
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In this post I will be discussing one of the most important topics in 3 Check, the value of checks. The value of a check varies depending on the individual factors of the position but in general the first check is worth less than a minor piece. This means that in most cases you should not even sacrifice a Bishop or Knight for the first check, let alone a Rook or a Queen. The 2nd check is much more valuable though and it's often worthwhile to sacrifice multiple pieces to get it, especially if your opponent has a weak King and/or you still have your Queen. That being said, the vast majority of players overestimate the value of checks and underestimate the value of pieces and central control.

Many players seem to have the misconception that the most important factor in 3 Check is which player has the most checks. This is simply not true. The most important factor in 3 Check is which player has control. You gain control by using your pawns and pieces more effectively than your opponent. If you make a bad sacrifice (or a series of bad sacrifices) then you have fewer pieces that you can use to fight for control of the position and as a result you run the risk of giving control to your opponent, leaving you vulnerable to a counter attack. It doesn't matter how many checks you have if you can't get a third. That may sound obvious, but many players will cause irreparable damage to their position to get 1 or 2 checks when they don't have a viable way to get a third check.

These first 2 games are typical examples of a player sacrificing a piece for one check and not getting enough compensation for it:

As you can see from the games above, sacrificing pieces for single, random checks is usually not very effective, especially if you have to invest too much time. This is why you should often keep the check in reserve until you can set up consecutive checks. Notice how in both games I got all 3 checks in succession. When you put your pieces on the most aggressive, active squares then you increase your chances of creating checking combos. My opponents never had the chance to get 3 checks because my central control and active pieces prevented my opponents from getting their pieces to the best squares. This control made it very easy for me to prevent subsequent checks. Here are 2 more examples:

As the last game demonstrates, you can (and often should) allow your opponent to get 2 checks if they don't have the time or resources to get a third. You can even consider "sacrificing" a check in exchange for positional gain or active pieces. Here is a game that I lost where my opponent used this strategy. 

So when is it a good idea to sacrifice for checks?

You can sacrifice your pieces more freely when:

  • You have many active pieces or at least the ability to quickly activate your pieces.
  • You have a space advantage.
  • You can follow up with additional checks or threats.
  • Your opponent's King is vulnerable or will become vulnerable after the sacrifice.
  • The alternative to sacrificing is to passively retreat your piece and lose valuable time.

You should generally avoid sacrificing when:

  • Your remaining pieces are not in active positions or if you don't have enough resources to get a third check.
  • You are lacking space for your pieces to maneuver.
  • You have to invest too much time to get the check.
  • The sacrifice will improve the activity of your opponent's pieces.
  • Your opponent's King will still be very safe after the sacrifice.

I hope some of you find this information helpful. Thanks for reading!