Relative Values of the Pieces
From the checkmate examples it is
possible to form a vague idea of the strength of the different pieces.
The Queen is apparently the strongest piece. On account of her superior
mobility she can confine the hostile King with a few moves and force him
into a mating net. Of the other pieces the Rook is no doubt the strongest
for he is sufficient to force a mate in conjunction with its own King,
while Bishop or Knight cannot do so. Two Bishops apparently are stronger
than two Knights, while it is not possible yet to say anything about the
relative value of one Bishop and one Knight.
The above valuation, however, holds good only on the comparatively vacant
board, where the pieces can make full use of their mobility. It is the
mobility alone which decides the value of a piece , and positions often
occur in which a Knight is more valuable than a Rook or in which a Pawn
might be preferable to a Bishop and so on. The reason is that sometimes
the weaker piece occupies a commanding square while the stronger piece
is obstructed somehow or other so that it cannot be made to work. Examples
for positions of this kind will be discussed in the section on combinations.
Although it is impossible to indicate exactly the relative value of the pieces
in each position, experience enables a fair estimation of their average
strength. The Queen is about as strong as two Rooks or as three minor pieces
(Bishops or Knights). A minor piece is about equivalent to three Pawns, and a
Rook is consequently equal to a minor piece and one to two Pawns.
The value of a Pawn is the hardest thing to grasp for the beginner. A
Pawn appears to be of so little use on account of its limited mobility,
that it seems hardly worth while to waste time on saving a Pawn that is
attacked, as so much greater things are apparently at issue. What is overlooked
is the latent value of the Pawn which lies in the possibility of queening
it later in the game.
To realize the importance of the Pawn it is necessary to know exactly
under what conditions it CAN be queened. This knowledge is all the more
indispensable to the Chess player as the vast majority of all games finally
resolve themselves into Pawn endings in which the advantage of one or
more Pawns decides the issue.
|
