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In chess, different pieces are more valuable than others. Every piece has a point value:
Pawns are worth one point of "material".
Knights and bishops are worth three points.
Rooks are worth five points.
The queen is worth nine points.
The king doesn't have a point value because you can't capture the king.
"Material" doesn't really mean anything other than the points. When one player has more points than the other on the board, that player has a "material advantage".
Before you capture your opponent's piece, make sure that your opponent's piece is worth fewer points or the same amount of points as yours. That way, you don't end up losing material.
In this position, which piece should the white queen capture?
The white queen should capture the black queen.
The queen is worth nine points, while the rook is only worth five points. So it's better to capture the queen.
In this position, which piece should the white rook capture?
The white rook should capture the white pawn.
If the rook captured the bishop, the other pawn would capture the rook. You got 3 points for the bishop but you lost 5 points for the rook. So you lose 2 points.
If the rook captured the pawn, you would get 1 point.
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