Chess pieces: how they move and what they are worth

There are six kinds of chess piece — pawn, knight, bishop, rook, queen and king — and each moves differently and has a different value, from one point for a pawn to nine for the queen. Below we break them down: the move, the value and the reach you can check on a live board.

In short: piece values are a rule of thumb — pawn 1, knight 3, bishop 3, rook 5, queen 9. The king has no value, because losing it ends the game. These numbers tell you what not to trade for what, but position matters too: a knight in a closed game can be stronger than a rook, and a bishop blocked by its own pawns is useless.

What each piece is worth

A conventional point value helps you judge trades:

• Pawn: 1 point — one square forward, captures diagonally.
• Knight: 3 points — moves in an L, jumps over other pieces.
• Bishop: 3 points — diagonally, on one colour of squares for the whole game.
• Rook: 5 points — in straight lines, along ranks and files.
• Queen: 9 points — like a rook and a bishop together, the strongest piece.
• King: priceless — one square, never onto an attacked square; its checkmate ends the game.

Values are given in "pawns": a knight is worth three pawns, a rook five. It is a reference point for trades — do not give a rook for a bishop without a clear reason — but not a fixed price. A piece's real strength depends on the position.

See each piece's reach

The strongest and the weakest piece

The strongest is the queen — it moves like a rook and a bishop at once, so from the centre it controls twenty-seven squares and is worth nine points. The nominally weakest is the pawn, worth one point, but it is the pawn that, on reaching the far side of the board, turns into any piece — usually a second queen. That is why in the endgame a single pawn can decide the game.

Why values are only a guide

The numbers assume an open, typical position. In practice a knight in a closed game, where pawns block the diagonals, matches a bishop's value even though both "cost" three. A bishop shut in by its own pawns has no move at all and stands idle the whole game. And the rook, the strongest line piece, sits trapped in the corner at the start and only comes alive once the files open. Value tells you what a piece is worth on average — position tells you what it is worth right now.

Which piece is the strongest?

The queen — it moves like a rook and a bishop together, hence a value of nine.

Which piece is the weakest?

The pawn, value one, but the only one that can promote to a queen on reaching the far side of the board.

Is the king a piece?

Yes, though it has no point value — the whole game is about its safety.

Once you know the pieces, see how to set them up on the board and learn the full rules of the game. Piece moves sink in fastest through chess tasks.

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