Author: Ricardo Gibert
Date: 08:28:20 01/02/03
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On January 02, 2003 at 10:44:49, Brian Thomas wrote: >Kind of a newbie question, but better to ask than to wonder: > >I was playing a game recently against someone whom I'd consider a reasonably >stronger player. I made a play where I exchanged a bishop and knight for a >rook. This was done fairly early in the game so I believe we each had the rest >of our armies. I think this surprised my opponent (we discussed it afterwards >and my general thought was he felt it was a mistake). > >Now, I was reading a book or article recently that actually mentioned a very >similar position. In the analysis white did the same exchange to maintain good >position, and the author was critical of this saying a bishop and knight for a >rook loses in the exchange. > >Each position is unique in its own right and there's no blanket answer, but I'm >a bit surprised by this. I would almost always take that exchange if it was >positionally favorable, and usually you can gain a tempo. If I were down >material, I'd look elsewhere. But is this generally thought to be a mistake? > >What do you all think? > >Brian R+P < B+N < R+P+P Typical factors affecting the reasonableness of exchanging are bishop pair, whether the number or rooks remaining on the board is 3 or 1, King safety issues, whether there are queens, etc. A lot depends on the specifics of the position. Another factor affecting computer chess is programs handle Rooks relatively worse than humans, but handle queens better (in the middle game), so this can also be a consideration affecting the decision to exchange against a program.
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