Q: which ratings would you beat if you recieve an extra P/K/B/R/Q?

Hmm, ok, seems to make better sense :p

Brings up a better question... have you ever read an entire thread cover to cover?

If I missed the first few pages I usually just skim it

Not a huge one, no.  Although it is possible that I ended up reading most of "if you know" (which might serve to explain a few things)...

What about of replacing "K" with "N"? :D Heh, I should have an extra king, so it would be hard to checkmate both kings ;) I would exchange the pieces as never before. I guess it's impossible to mate 2 kings with a queen, except this one:

It depends on what pawn they're missing.  If they start out with no a pawn, I doesn't make all that much of a difference.  I think if my 1800 -1900 opponent started off with one bishop or knight missing, I could win that game.

I just tried a queen advantage against my comp (critter) and won with 2 fingers in my nose (i do have an icky mouse right now...)

- It went for nimzo indian and after a3 it exchanged on c3 .. yay more exchange for me.

- After that i just aimed to play for e4 (with f3)

- After the center was closed i opened op the kingside at the cost of a pawn

- I sacced an exchange to get more trades

- In the end i ended up with a queen + 4 pawn vs rook + 2 pawn

- picked up the last 2 pawns and won

Very little tactics and it let me steer the game in very quit waters where i could trade down everything. It will me more difficult against a hummie

A "700-player" is not a chess player. 800 is a beginner so I don't see how you can be much weaker than that. A "700-player" would probably not fully understand how the pieces move. I remember beating such a player with K+Q+7P vs K+Q+2R+2B+2N+8P (23 point handicap). And I was only about 1500 myself at the time.

So this argument is silly - what applies at this level won't apply at any other level.

i beat my comp up a rook :/ i think its about 2600

You're confusing chess.com with real life. It is possible to get a USCF rating of 700; my quick rating was under 400 at one point. The chess.com rating system is a bit generous.

It's possible in theory to get any rating in any system. What I'm saying is the material handicap business falls apart with extremely weak players, because you can give them all the material in the world and if they have no idea what to do with it, it's no help to them.

In order to be able to take advantage of a material handicap, even a very large one, the player has to be able to play chess to at least a basic standard.

The serious side to this is what place exchanges should have in a game where you are up material. The easiest plan in the world when you're up a pawn, or two pawns, or even a piece, is to just trade. It's a bad habit. Much better is to play the game normally, only exchanging if you think the transformation is to your advantage.

@ozzie, this makes me laugh when I remember a youngster in my club who had K+N+P vs K+P, and exchanged the pawns because he was up material. I made him stand out at the front of the group and try to explain to them why he thought this was a good idea

     Odds games are totally cool.  The idea is for the better player to give equal chances to the lesser player.  In the 18th and 19th century, it was pretty common and theory on odds games was commonly studied.  Opening theory for various odds were published and discussed.  Players usually started by giving greater odds than they could win with and then give lesser odds until some balance was achieved. For instance, in Philadelphia Morphy played two games vs. Willaim G. Thomas at Kt odds and lost both; then played two more games at 2P&move and won both; Morphy then gave Thomas Kt odds in a pair of games with the condition of the opening starting with 1.e4 e5 (insuring an open game) and Morphy won both.  In games with stakes, the odds giver usually tried to negotiate the smallest odds he could.  Often the peculiar happened such as a player finding he  could score better receiving 2 pawns than 1 pawn.  Morphy, a great odds-player, couldn't beat Maurian at Q odds even when Maurian was a novice.  Morphy had offered James Thompson a match at Kt odds. Thompson was reluctant, considering himself Morphy's equal, but finally accepted with the unassailable belief that no one could beat him a Kt odds.  Morphy won the match. But to be fair, Morphy was experienced giving odds while Thompson wasn't so experienced receiving them. 

     Q odds isn't even the most difficult. Games played with a capped pawn or Kt seem much more difficult - a player is required to mate using the marked or capped man: just losing that man loses the game for the odds-giver as does failure to mate with that man.

     Paulsen had challenged Morphy to an even match, bt Morphy, rightly, counted-demanded first a match at P&move odds.  Paulsen wrote: "As soon as I received your letter I commenced analyzing the pawn and move game. I have not yet finished my work.  Should the result prove that in the pawn and move game the advantage is really on the side of the player who receives the odds, I will play a match with Morphy at these odds; and should I beat him he will be obliged to play a match on even terms . . ." 
Since Pauslen ltimately refused to accept odds, he must have concluded receiving odds gave him no advantage.  Go figure.

     Besides the skill differenc which allows better players to win with less material, there's a psychological aspect which might affect either or both players.  Receiving odds, one might feel more compelled to win and play too aggresively - or too defensively.

     Kasparov played his famous charity match against Terry Chapman giving various 2P odds along wtih 90min - 60min time odds.  With about a 600 pt elo advantage, Kasparov barely won 2.5-1.5.

Honestly, a Queen odd gives anyone above 1700 a win against ANYONE. A rook might be guarenteed too, but it is more likely to lose. I would say:

Bullet:  2050

Pawn:2200

Knight/Bishop:2400

Rook:3000

Queen:9000+

Thanks for the intersting posts and estimates! Still hope that lowerrated players (1000-2000) will also post their estimates. And all others are welcome as well.

Rating: 1600

Pawn: +1650

Knight+Bishop: +1700

Rook: +1800

Queen: +2200

I lost 3 times in a row with Q-odds against houdini ~depth 20 :/

Interesting.. id also like to say wich specific piece i would pick so..

Rating: 1470

F Pawn: 1520

Queenside Knight: 1770

Queenside Bishop: 1820

Kingside Rook: 2220

Queen: Not even Houdini can defeat me without Queen :P

Current rating for correspondence: 1754

Up a pawn: 1820

Up a Bishop: 2120

Up a Knight: 2080

Up a Rook: 2590

Up a Queen: 2700

it depends where the pawn is, if you run an engine starting with white his a2 pawn missing, the game is still even. I would then lose to somebody my level.

Up a pawn I would probably say +50, pawns matter very little in terms of rating, anything can happen

up a knight +500-700 points more than me

up a rook + 1000-1500 points more

up a queen ++ impossible to lose with a queen down. I tried against a 2800 engine and beat it easily while half asleep and not thinking. all you have to to is trade pieces