Why we need the bishop to be worth 4 points

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Avatar of David13pal
The bishop is for more worthy than a horse. With the bishop you can pin pieces more easily than you cam with the horse. Even tho the horse can jump over pieces in most cases where ever he lands he will be captured. In my opinion the bishop's worth should be upscale by 1 point.
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Avatar of Sargon_Three
David13pal wrote:
The bishop is for more worthy than a horse.

The point system (1 = pawn, 3 = knight, bishop, 5 = rook, 9 = queen) is basic and a good way to start explaining the value of the pieces.

But the pieces are more dynamic. For example, 2 bishops on the board together are worth more than a bishop and a knight. So you may want to make a bishop worth "3.5" points if you have 2 bishops of opposite colors on the board.

Also, the position of the piece on the board affects its usefulness (or value). So, a knight stuck on the side of the board *may* be less valuable than in the middle of the board...

Avatar of Fet
A horse is a knight. Let's call it like this. Knights and bishops have their own strengths and weaknesses. Why would a bishop have 4 points, when it can only move to the half of the board? Also, these points aren't meant to be accurate. Sometimes a bishop is stronger than a rook. Sometimes it is weaker than a pawn. And this can be said to all pieces. And another thing that supports that a bishop is not worth 4 points: a bishop cannot stop 4 passed pawns. And the knight is very good at forking and closed positions. The bishop is very good at controlling the board from far and in open positions. Therefore, we cannot say that bishops are worth 4 points. And also, at your level, ~200, if you learn how to use the knight, you are (almost) immortal.