Worth Trading a Knight or Bishop?
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It depends on the position. Do you have any examples?
i don;t want to use my ucrrent game.....i do it alot, so 'regardless' of exact position...........i like to break open the King, even at a high cost. Smart or foolish?
It really depends on the position, you should try and look up the classic bishop sacrific, and learn when it works and when it doesn't.
if it is out of nowhere and you don't really have a reasonable follow-up, it would be foolish. If there is a forced variation afterwards that checkmates, wins more material than you sacrificed, or just leaves you with a positional edge while maintaining material equality (i.e. better pawn structure or pieces), then it is a smart thing to do.
I was taught to keep my bishop pair for the endgame, but it can be depend on the position. Knights are generally better in closed positions while bishops are better in open ones. Knights can fork, but bishops can skewer, so tactically they both have their own special ability. Knights have to get close to attack, while bishops can attack from close up or far away, so I have to give the advantage to the bishops there. Being stationed in a corner or on the edge of the board is generally a greater handicap for a knight than a bishop, advantage bishop. Knights can attack while there are pieces separating it from the piece it is attacking, bishops can't. Advantage knight. There is a historical precedent for valuing bishops from 1/4 to 1/2 point higher than a knight, and there is probably a good reason for it.
Jun 28, 2008
0
#7
Marshal_Dillon wrote: I was taught to keep my bishop pair for the endgame, but it can be depend on the position. Knights are generally better in closed positions while bishops are better in open ones. Knights can fork, but bishops can skewer, so tactically they both have their own special ability. Knights have to get close to attack, while bishops can attack from close up or far away, so I have to give the advantage to the bishops there. Being stationed in a corner or on the edge of the board is generally a greater handicap for a knight than a bishop, advantage bishop. Knights can attack while there are pieces separating it from the piece it is attacking, bishops can't. Advantage knight. There is a historical precedent for valuing bishops from 1/4 to 1/2 point higher than a knight, and there is probably a good reason for it.
Also nothing to do with what the opening post asked.
Trading a knight or bishop for a pawn is ok in certain types of positions, such as a VERY open king or a trap with forced mate.
Otherwise, don't trade your knight for a pawn, it will only hurt you.
thanks, i did it and i can see my attack floundering.....not sure if i can salvage the game, let alone the attack......
The man who taught me how to play chess loved his bishops, then my second teacher loved his knights and showed me how you could bounce around the enemy camp with them. This was important to me in that I learned the values of each, but that the position will dictate which is best. Sometimes an outposted knight is more dominant than winning an exchange. I've often let an opponent think he's saving his rook from my knight, not realizing the true danger they're in.
no pawns in center go bishops closed up games knights
mowque wrote:
In your opinion, in most normal even games, is it smart to trade a Knight for a pawn and destruction of the King Side pawn sturcture? i find it make attacking eaiser, should i lose this idea at higher levels?
its defenitly a knight because sometimes..............just pick the knight!!!
Depends if you can play one peice down for the pawn you took....
mowque wrote:
In your opinion, in most normal even games, is it smart to trade a Knight for a pawn and destruction of the King Side pawn sturcture? i find it make attacking eaiser, should i lose this idea at higher levels?
It depends on which pawn. (I'll assume White is attacking Black on the K-side). If you don't have a follow up in mind, taking on f7 is silly with both minors, because the king can retreat to h8 and be safe.
A sacrifice on g7 is brilliant even if you can't immediately mate, because this leaves the other pawns weak so they'll fall too.
A sacrifice on h7 can work, such as the Classic Bishop Sacrifice (thanks pvmike), but the king might be able to run away through the centre.
As for your question about higher levels, it is even more important to know how to sacrifice against better players, because they won't fall to normal moves.
Keep it up!!
"In your opinion, in most normal even games... is it smart to trade a Knight for a pawn and destruction of the King Side pawn sturcture?"
No. There are occasions where I will throw a minor piece to the wind for an attack against the king but those are very specific positions, and I always calculate. If a sac fails against a good opponent, YOU LOSE. It might work occasionally against amateurs, but rarely against a strong oppoent.
Well unless I can drag the king to the sixth rank or something =P.
In your opinion, in most normal even games, is it smart to trade a Knight for a pawn and destruction of the King Side pawn sturcture? i find it make attacking eaiser, should i lose this idea at higher levels?