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  • Lesson 8 of 32
  • The pieces
  • 3 min

Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth

Almost every capture in chess is a trade: you take something, and often something of yours is taken back. Piece values tell you whether the trade is worth it. They are a rule of thumb, not a law, but they settle most decisions at the board.

Step 1 of 4

  1. Points for each piece

    Players count material in points. A pawn is worth 1, a knight 3, a bishop 3, a rook 5 and the queen 9. On the board, from left to right: pawn, knight, bishop, rook, queen and king. The king has no value in points, because it can never be traded: losing it loses the game.

  2. A rook for a knight

    Your knight on f5 can take the black rook on d6. The pawn on c7 guards the rook, so it will take your knight back. Is that trade good for you?

    Question

  3. Take what is free

    The black bishop on g4 attacks your queen. She can take three things: the bishop, the pawn on d5 or the rook on a4. Before you take, look at the guards. The pawn on h5 guards the bishop, and the pawn on e6 guards d5.

    Your move

    Save your queen and win as much as you can.

  4. A check is not a gift

    Your bishop on c4 can take the pawn on f7, and it would be check. Is Bxf7+ a good idea?

    Question

What you learned

  • Pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9. The king can't be traded.
  • Before you capture, count what you win and what you might lose back.
  • Take pieces nobody guards, and don't give a piece for a pawn just to give check.
  • The values are a guide: a well-placed piece can be worth more than its points.

In this course

Unit 1The pieces

  1. The Chessboard and How to Set Up the Pieces
  2. How the Rook Moves in Chess
  3. How the Bishop Moves in Chess
  4. How the Queen Moves in Chess
  5. How the King Moves in Chess
  6. How the Knight Moves in Chess
  7. How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess
  8. Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth

Unit 2Special moves

  1. What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It
  2. How to Castle in Chess: Kingside and Queenside
  3. En Passant in Chess, Explained on the Board
  4. Pawn Promotion in Chess: Turning a Pawn Into a Queen

Unit 3Winning the game

  1. What Is Checkmate? Learn to Mate in One
  2. Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw
  3. How to Checkmate With a King and Queen

Unit 4Your first tactics

  1. The Fork: Attack Two Pieces at Once
  2. The Pin in Chess: Freeze a Piece in Place
  3. The Skewer in Chess: Attack Through a Piece

Unit 5Checkmate patterns

  1. Back-Rank Mate in Chess: Spot It and Stop It
  2. Smothered Mate in Chess: The Knight's Checkmate
  3. The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks
  4. How to Checkmate With a King and Rook

Unit 6More tactics

  1. Discovered Attack in Chess: Unmask a Hidden Attacker
  2. Double Check in Chess: Two Checks at Once
  3. Removing the Defender in Chess: Take the Guard

Unit 7Opening principles

  1. Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle
  2. How to Develop Your Pieces in the Chess Opening
  3. Scholar's Mate: How It Works and How to Stop It
  4. Fool's Mate: The Fastest Checkmate in Chess

Unit 8Endgame basics

  1. The Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
  2. The Opposition in Chess: King Endgame Basics
  3. King and Pawn vs King: How to Win the Ending

Lessons for every game

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