MARK RUBERY CHESS
When one begins to play chess one of the first lessons to be learned is the value of each piece, and while this is a handy guide initially it becomes less relevant as one becomes more experienced. With regard to the value of the chess pieces the most popular scale is: P=1 N=3 B=3 R=5 Q=9. This is sufficient for most purposes except that three pieces are usually regarded superior to a pair of rooks as they combine better and that a rook and knight are not superior to two bishops as the scale suggests. Of course all values depend on the nature of the position. For example in the endgames of king and two knights against king the knights have no value whatsoever, and a rook would be worth a great deal.
In Bilguer’s handbuch (1843) the scale was based on the activity of the pieces thus: P=1,5 N or B=5,3 R=8,6 Q=15,5 whilst Staunton (1847) declared P=1 N=3,05 B=3,5 R=5 Q=9.94. Computers have used the following values P=2 B=7 N=8 R=14 Q=27 where the king has two values: for general purposes 8 and for exchanges 1000 (!) to discourage such activity. Perhaps the best use of the scale of values is as part of an evaluation of the position, balancing the loss of material against positional or tactical gain, where it is more a matter of judgement rather than exact calculation.
To give another perspective here is an incredible game played by the legendary Mikhail Tal in a crucial event where he shows no respect for the value of the pieces. Portisch,Lajos - Tal,Mihail [E62] Amsterdam Interzonal (2) 1964
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d6 3.d4 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.0–0 0–0 6.c4 Bg4 7.Nc3 Qc8 8.Re1 Re8 9.Qb3 Nc6 10.d5 Na5 11.Qa4 b6 12.Nd2 Bd7 13.Qc2 c6 14.b4 Nxc4 15.Nxc4 cxd5 16.Na3 d4!? ( A move that will prove to be analytically insufficient, yet the wicked complications that soon ensue consigns chess closer to a sport than a science)
17.Bxa8 Qxa8 18.Ncb5 Rc8 19.Qd1 Ne4 20.f3 a6 21.Nxd4 Qd5 22.Be3 Rc3 23.Ndc2 Qf5 24.g4 Qe6 25.Bd4 h5!? 26.Bxg7 hxg4 27.Nd4 (In this complex position the computer finds the following remarkable line 27 Bxc3 g3! Portisch was obviously afraid of this scary looking move 28.Qd4 gxh2+ 29.Kh1 Ng3+ 30.Kg2! nerves of silicon rather than steel are required here…Qh3+ 31.Kf2 e5 32.Qxd6 Qh4 33.Qb8+ Kh7 34. Qh8+!! Kxh8 35.Bxe5+ Kg8 36.Bxg3 emerging with a ton of wood for the queen)
…Qd5 28.fxe4 Qxe4 (Realistically White is still winning but constantly being faced with head-spinning moves was beginning to exact a toll on White) 29.Nf3 (29 e3! Bc8! 30 Re2 Bb7 31 Nac2 consolidates) …Qe3+ 30.Kh1 Bc6 31.Rf1 (Portisch’s last opportunity was 31.Nc2! Qf2 32.Bd4 gxf3 33.Bxf2 fxe2+ 34.Kg1 exd1Q 35.Raxd1 Rxc2 36.Rxe7) Rxa3 32.Qc1 gxf3 33.Qxc6 Qxe2 34.Rg1 Kxg7 35.Rae1 Qd2 36.Rd1 Qe2 37.Rde1 Qd2
(And the game ends in a repetition having taken a more honourable route than most encounters) 0,5-0,5
‘You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.’-Tal