What the pieces are worth
In short
Chess players use a simple point scale: pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9. The king cannot be traded, so it has no point value — losing it loses the game.
By the end you can
- Know the standard values
- Judge whether a trade is good
The lesson
Chess players use a simple point scale: pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9. The king cannot be traded, so it has no point value — losing it loses the game.
The values help you decide about captures. Giving a knight (3) for a rook (5) wins two points — called winning “the exchange”. Giving a queen for a rook loses four points. Before you capture, count what you take and what you might lose back.
Values are a guide, not a law. An active piece in the centre can be worth more than a passive one in the corner, and near the end of the game a pawn about to promote is worth much more than one point.
Key points to remember
- P=1, N=3, B=3, R=5, Q=9
- Count both sides of a trade
- Activity can change the real value
Examples
Show the solution
75. Kxe5 a2 76. Bxa2
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: hanging piece puzzles, trapped piece puzzles.
Homework
Before each capture in your games this week, say the two values out loud.
More rules & board lessons
- The chessboard and its coordinates (Foundation)
- Long-range pieces: rook, bishop and queen (Foundation)
- Knight, king and pawn (Foundation)
- Check and the three ways out (Foundation)
- Castling (Foundation)
- Promotion and en passant (Foundation)