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Beginner lesson 8/20
Piece values and trades
Use approximate piece values to judge exchanges.
Learn this chess concept step by step, then practise it on the interactive ChessRivo board.
Open interactive lessonAbout this lesson
Piece values are guides, not laws, but they help beginners evaluate trades.
Key ideas
- Pawn ≈ 1, knight ≈ 3, bishop ≈ 3.
- Rook ≈ 5, queen ≈ 9.
- King value is not numerical because losing it means losing the game.
Coach tip: Before trading, compare what you give up with what you receive.
Test yourself
Which piece is normally worth about 5 pawns?
- Knight
- Rook
- Bishop
Show answer
Correct answer: Rook
Practise this lesson interactively
Open the ChessRivo Academy board exercise for this exact lesson. Your progress is saved when you are signed in.
Open interactive lessonHow to use this lesson in a real game
Turn the idea into a repeatable decision process.
- Before moving, name the position feature this lesson is about.
- Find one candidate move that follows the lesson idea and one alternative.
- After the game, return to the critical position and compare your choice with the lesson.