The Pieces and Their Values — Chess Foundations, Lesson 2
The point value of every chess piece and how to know when a trade is worth it. A clear beginner guide to pawn, knight, bishop, rook, and queen material.
This is lesson 2 of ten in Chess Foundations, a free beginner course from Endgame Society. Each lesson is short, written in plain language, and built around a board you can move pieces on while you read.
Understand the relative value of each piece and when trades are worth making.
Every chess piece has a relative value measured in points . These aren't official rules — they're guidelines that help you decide whether a trade is good or bad.
- Pawn = 1 point (the basic unit) - Knight = 3 points - Bishop = 3 points (slightly more than a knight in open positions) - Rook = 5 points - Queen = 9 points - King = invaluable (you can't trade it!)
A simple rule: never trade a higher-value piece for a lower-value one unless you get something concrete in return (like checkmate).
Compare the pieces. The Queen (9 pts) is worth more than a Rook (5), Bishop (3), and Knight (3) individually — but not all of them combined (11 pts total).
Work through the lessons in order and you will finish knowing how every piece moves, how games end, and how to plan your first few moves without memorising anything.
Our courses run from the rules of the board to endgame technique. Lessons are interactive: you read a short passage, then play the position out on a real board before moving on.
Chess Piece Values — Pawn, Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen | Foundations