I argue king is the weakest piece because it has the weakest defense and you lose the game whereas pawns and many other pieces can be used to defend your stronger pieces king included
This quiz problem made me think.
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Yes, the question is vague, because the position on the board decides the strength and weakness of any given piece. Good point
Jan 12, 2015
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#4
I think it's a trick question because a pawn is technically not a "piece," but rather a "man," "chessman," or "unit." Therefore the answer should be "Knight."
*If* the question asked which *man* is the weakest, then the answer would definitely be "Pawn" because the king's value as a fighting piece is estimated at 4-5 pawns.
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(p. 319, 2nd ed.)
chessman: Term that refers to both pieces and pawns. Sometimes the term is
shortened to man. The term unit is sometimes used interchangeably with
chessman. See also piece.
(p. 333, 2nd ed.)
piece: A king, queen, rook, bishop, or knight.
(p. 339, 2nd ed.)
unit: a term that refers to both pieces and pawns. See also piece, pawn, and
chessman.
Eade, James. 2005. Chess For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
A pawn can only move forward and attack diagonally, whereas a king can traverse all over the board and use the power of opposition along with other tactics such as triangulation. I chose pawn, as the weakest piece even though the king is obviously the most vulnerable and if attacked requires immediate priority. Thoughts?