5.

PIECES VALUE

After the first four criteria of evaluation, we can go deeper into the position details and
evaluate the value of pieces and pawns. Both 5th and 6th criteria of assessment are, in fact,
a complex of more factors.
The order of the next 2 lists of factors is not accidental, although it doesnt mean that we
should take their importance as a rule. (Rules dont work in chess!)
1. Better development this factor is only for the early stage of the game (opening
and early middlegame), when more developed pieces can offer chances for active
actions while the opponent pieces are still undeveloped and not ready to defend.
However, this is a short-term advantage that one can lose if immediate
employment do not or cannot offer other long-lasting advantages.
2. Piece out of play An opponent piece that cannot enter the battle (because its
limited by the own or opponent pieces and pawns) is a very important advantage.
That piece can become a target due to its immobility or a piece down in the fire of
the battle. There are situations when even more pieces are out of play, or out of
the important battle field, without being able to arrive at time to defend the
position on the other side of the board.
3. Local force superiority Pieces work in a team and a larger team succeeds
against a weaker and smaller one. A force superiority in one of the flanks (given
that the centre is secured) or right in the centre will create the premises for a
strong attack on that side. Another characteristic a team of chess pieces should
have to succeed is the collaboration between its members see next factor.
4. The collaboration between pieces in their enterprise to fight for or defend
important objectives, the collaboration between pieces is essential. The rearrangement of pieces for getting a better collaboration and better roles for each
piece is one of the sophisticated techniques of the positional play.
5. Rooks on open files the controlling of an open file (when the opponent cannot
neutralize) is another important factor which raises the qualitative value of a
weighty piece. We also have to analyze if there are entrance points for our rook in
the enemys camp or if an outpost on this file exists (outpost = an advanced
square defended by one of our own pawns).
6. Bishops on important diagonals the power (and its qualitative value) of the
bishop on a long diagonal increases when there are attacking objectives in the
opponents camp.
7. Knights on important foreposts a knight on a defended and secured square
(where the opponent pawns cannot attack it, or by an attack, they would create big

weaknesses) is another important asset. We have to evaluate the importance of

the objectives/squares that the knight attacks or defends from that forepost.
8. Bishop-pair the very well known pair of bishops against other 2 minor pieces
(bishop + knight or knight + knight) is a very dangerous weapon in open or semiopen positions, especially when the opponent has no well defended positions for
his knight/s in the centre.
9. Safe and active queen the weightiest piece on the board can have problems
during the middlegame in finding a secure position against the opponent threats.
In exchange, if our queen can get an active position, while the opponent queen
remains passive, we will have a short-term but important plus.
10. Piece value comparison a good and objective picture of the quality of our
pieces and of the opponent pieces will be given by a comparison of the both
camps pieces one by one. How good is our queen compared with the opponent
queen, how are our rooks compared with the opponent rooks, how are our knights
compared with the opponent knights, how is our dark-square bishop compared
with the opponent dark-square bishop, and how is our light-square bishop
compared with the opponent light-square bishop.
For this comparison, we will take into account the squares that these pieces
control and the importance of their role within the group.