Chess Piece Values: How Much Is Each Piece Worth?

To decide whether a trade is good, you need to know what each piece is worth. Chess players use a simple point system, found in almost every chess book:

The king does have fighting value in the endgame - roughly that of a minor piece - but it can never be traded.

How to use the numbers

Add up the material both sides have and compare. Before any capture or trade, count what you give and what you get:

• Trading a knight for a bishop (3 for 3) is even.
• Giving a bishop to win a rook (3 for 5) wins two points.
• Giving a rook for a knight and a pawn (5 for 4) loses a point - usually.

Moves: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 h6 5. Nxf7

Open this position on the analysis board

Most beginner games are decided by material left hanging: a piece that can simply be taken for free. Before every move, check that everything you own is protected - and look for what your opponent left unprotected. Practise spotting it with hanging piece puzzles.

Common trades and their names

• The exchange. Winning a rook for a bishop or knight is called winning the exchange (a gain of about two points). Giving it up on purpose is an exchange sacrifice - a favourite idea of positional players.
• Two minor pieces for a rook. Two minor pieces (6) are usually stronger than a rook (5), especially in the middlegame. With more pawns on the board, the rook gains value.
• Queen for a rook and a minor piece. Roughly equal (9 vs 8) - and in practice it depends on how safe the kings are.
• Three minor pieces for a queen. Often better for the pieces, which can attack several things at once.

Knight or bishop?

Both are worth about three points, but they are different pieces:

• Bishops prefer open positions, with long diagonals and few pawns in the way. They are strong in endgames with pawns on both sides of the board.
• Knights prefer closed positions and outposts: a square in the enemy half where no enemy pawn can attack them.
• The bishop pair. Two bishops together are stronger than the sum of their parts - many players count the pair as worth about half a pawn extra, since together they cover squares of both colours.

When the numbers lie

The point values are averages. In a real position, other things often matter more:

• King safety. A material advantage is worthless if your king gets mated. Most sacrifices give up material for an attack.
• Activity. An active rook can be worth more than a passive queen. A bishop blocked by its own pawns (a "bad bishop") is worth less than three.
• Passed pawns. A pawn one step from promoting is worth far more than one point.
• Development. Grabbing a pawn in the opening while your pieces sit at home is often a bad trade - see the opening principles.

The values are a starting point for thinking, not the end of it. When in doubt, count material first, then ask what each piece is actually doing.

Practise

Spotting free material and favourable trades is the most basic tactical skill. Train it with hanging piece puzzles and forks, then read the tactics guide for the patterns that win material.