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16 votes
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Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

Have a look at the wikipedia article on relative chess piece values, it provides an extensive discussion on the matter. To see how you can compare two given pieces, let's consider your bishop vs rook ...
Ellie's user avatar
  • 12k
12 votes

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

You need to understand that the point system is only a rough guideline meant to assist you in evaluating positions or in deciding on potential exchanges. Many factors, particularly the pawn structure, ...
user1583209's user avatar
  • 20.9k
9 votes

Is the exchange of a rook for two minor pieces really worth it?

You say your opponent had a strong attack against your king and you had to "sacrifice" your rook for two minor pieces and went on to lose. I think you have it the wrong way round. It sounds like your ...
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 100k
6 votes
Accepted

Examples of harmony?

Admittedly, it's hard to make general abstract statements of any kind about chess (e.g. to say what "harmonious play" means) as it is a highly complex and concrete game. So everything said about it ...
Ellie's user avatar
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5 votes

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

I would like to add another example. A rook can isolate a lonely king from a portion of the board by forming a barrier. A bishop cannot; for that same task you need 2 bishops. That means, roughly, 1R~...
Diedrsch's user avatar
  • 429
5 votes

Examples of harmony?

As in music, harmony is difficult to define, but two things come to mind. One is the advice given "Talk to your pieces". Ask them if they feel like they belong to a team. If one of them says, "No I ...
Philip Roe's user avatar
  • 8,696
4 votes

Examples of harmony?

I would suggest the 16th game of the 1985 WC match between Karpov (White) and Kasparov (Black). Look after move 21: [FEN "2rqr1k1/5p2/p2b1n1p/3P1bp1/Np6/1P1n1BB1/P2Q1PPP/1N1R1RK1 w - - 0 1"] ...
Evargalo's user avatar
  • 16.7k
4 votes

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

The pawn point system is only a very rough guideline to judge a piece's value. In the beginning of the game (as long as there are no (half) open lines for the Rooks to operate), a Bishop might very ...
Annatar's user avatar
  • 5,949
4 votes

Why does Stockfish evaluate this position as completely lost?

You are aware that two minor pieces are superior to a Rook in a naive point count but you don't seem to realise why this is so. It is simply that if I attack something with two pieces that you can ...
Philip Roe's user avatar
  • 8,696
4 votes
Accepted

Josh Waitzkin chessmaster mastery quiz - order of check vs trade in bishop and knight endgame

OK, here the long version by request. Blacks options are 1...a5+ 2.Kc4 Bxh3 3.gxh3 Ne6 or 1...Bxh3 2.gxh3 a5+ 3.Kc4 Ne6 (both followed by Ke5 to restrict the wK), which is a simple transposion. Let us ...
Hauke Reddmann's user avatar
3 votes
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What to trade when there's one superior/inferior minor piece in the position?

In most cases, Knights are happy when the position is closed and bishops are happy when it's an open position. By closed, I mean pieces are not easy to move, and in open, pieces are free to move. In ...
Abhyuday Vaish's user avatar
3 votes

Is the exchange of a rook for two minor pieces really worth it?

Your experience doesn't speak too much to the general question. Your opponent apparently was more skilled than you, which means several things. First, they probably would have won if you hadn't traded....
Acccumulation's user avatar
3 votes

Did Richard Teichmann fail to take his "bishop pair" idea to its logical conclusion?

I would like to point another way for Black to try and hold to the dark squared bishop, without allowing doubled pawns on f6. I believe that 1...Bd8 would be a reasonnable choice in that difficult ...
Evargalo's user avatar
  • 16.7k
3 votes

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

The point values are based primarily on how many squares a piece can command. Not only can rooks command more squares on an open board, but they can cover both colors, while bishops are restricted to ...
CConero's user avatar
  • 3,036
2 votes

What are the reasons why I should not try to take a Knight with my Bishop if it'll result in doubled pawns?

Let's see, what is the original question? The poster thinks that taking a knight with a bishop should be good if it results in the opponent getting doubled pawns. And the poster also specifically asks ...
Dennis's user avatar
  • 121
2 votes

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

From playing chess variants, we know that for Cylindrical Chess the strength of Rook and Bishop are practically equal. In this variant, both pieces have the same board mobility. So, the main reason ...
Sir Cornflakes's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

Is the exchange of a rook for two minor pieces really worth it?

Two minor pieces are generally stronger than a rook, with the advantage becoming more evident when the game heads to the endgame. It is clear that there can be exceptions even in an endgame, like one ...
Andrea Mori's user avatar
  • 1,174
2 votes

Is the exchange of a rook for two minor pieces really worth it?

The generally accepted numerical value of those chess pieces are that the rook is worth 5 and the knight is worth 3 (the bishop is also worth 3 and the pawn is worth 1). Looking at the situation ...
stapmoshun's user avatar
2 votes

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

You ask a basic but significant question. The question can be answered in either of two ways. On the one hand, chess masters have found, roughly, that trading a rook and a pawn for two minor pieces (...
thb's user avatar
  • 4,589
2 votes

Josh Waitzkin chessmaster mastery quiz - order of check vs trade in bishop and knight endgame

Josh says trade bishop for knight and then do a5 check. Is there a difference if I do check before the trade? I think you answer your own question: chess.com engine says both check and trade are '...
Brian Towers's user avatar
  • 100k
2 votes

Why should White give up the bishop (pair) in this example?

We can't read the engine's mind. The evaluation is the result of calculation to depth 22, i.e. looking 11 moves ahead; the main line(s) after both 1 Bxe4 and White's alternatives should give some ...
Noam D. Elkies's user avatar
1 vote

What to trade when there's one superior/inferior minor piece in the position?

This is an interesting position. White has a bit of an advantage, and a strong player would certainly not agree to a draw, but I don't think that the advantage is anywhere close to winning yet. White ...
Philip Roe's user avatar
  • 8,696
1 vote

Why should White give up the bishop (pair) in this example?

Bxe4 does not lead to a permanent advantage for white, but Bg4 or Bh3 also do not. The position is static (blocked center pawns, no passers, one open file) and the bishops are not that good in such ...
Nils Lindemann's user avatar
1 vote

Is the exchange of a rook for two minor pieces really worth it?

It's usually a very good trade to get two pieces for a rook. Maybe in the particular game you played it was important to keep the rook on in order to control the file, but in general the two pieces ...
Inertial Ignorance's user avatar
1 vote

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

Ellie points out that a rook, wherever it is, sees more squares than a bishop can. The reason for this is the shape of the board: rook-lines run parallel to the board's edges. If the board was of ...
Rosie F's user avatar
  • 6,640
1 vote

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

Im a bit surprised that nobody yet has mentioned that if you still possess both bishops they can in combination cover squares of both color. One Bishop plugs the holes that the other Bishop leaves. ...
Philip Roe's user avatar
  • 8,696
1 vote

Which are better, Knights or Bishops?

My answer comes years late but differs from the others. A bishop can often reach a square from which it can control, restrict or bind an opposing knight. See the diagram, which gives an ...
thb's user avatar
  • 4,589
1 vote

Why is the rook worth 5 points while the bishop is only worth 3?

Since Bishops only move diagonally, a Bishop can only go to a square of the same color as it started on. White Bishop can't go on black squares, and black Bishop can't go on white squares. However, ...
clickbait's user avatar
  • 689
1 vote

Can Black save this Knight vs Bishop endgame with a pawn down?

In your second plan, you say: Black can block White's d pawn, but White can always force a win due to Black knight's limited mobility and zugzwang. That is White's hope for sure, but it should not ...
Evargalo's user avatar
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