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Subject: Re: Bishop and Knight for a Rook

Author: scott farrell

Date: 08:56:37 01/02/03

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On January 02, 2003 at 11:28:20, Ricardo Gibert wrote:

Generally I think, then more number of pieces the better of you are, more
chances etc, R+R is often considered much better than a queen - which is very
similar in nature to N+B vs Rook.

I have seen a Rook + kNight + a few pawns totally hammer a Queen plus the same
number of pawns, due to the fact that there was 2 pieces, and could cross-suport
the same square, where the queen could only protect each square once. the R+N
side, just advanced pawns merrily down the board :)

IMHO
Scott

>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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