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| otter606 10/25/2004 07:01:24 [ report this post ] |
 Subject: queen exchangeMessage: I was wondering if, towards the endgame, if people would prefer to have a Queen, or 3 minor pieces (rooks having been exchanged off)? IThe "point counts" are the same but my suspicion would be having a single piece would be disadvantageous. I've not seen this discussed much in any of hte books I've got so would appreciate a strategical opinion.... |
| philaretus 10/25/2004 07:56:35 [ report this post ] | Message: I don't know about a strategical opinion, but a practical opinion is that such a line-up happens so infrequently that it's not worth studying it in advance. I would repeat the usual advice given to enquirers about endgame technique, and urge you to give priority to studying rook and pawn endings, which make up the majority of endgames. :) |
| dysfl 10/25/2004 08:54:33 [ report this post ] | Rather have 3 pieces Message: I don't think it would ever happen, but I'd rather have 3 pieces than one Queen. Yes, it would depend on a specific position especially if the King is exposed or not. But I think the best Queen can do is make a draw by perpetual checks, while two Bishops or connected Knights can limit the move of Queen while the other piece is working. |
| bucklehead 10/25/2004 10:40:53 [ report this post ] | The endgame manuals suggest... Message: ...that this is generally a draw unless there are pawns on the board; and even then, Q+1P only draws against three pieces (with no pawns). If the side with the pieces has a pawn, however, a win is possible. Of course this is a general finding and can depend on a large number of factors. But this makes sense if you think about it: how is the lone Q supposed to march the enemy king into the corner with so many other pieces blocking the way? And at worst the Q can trade itself off against one of the opposing pieces (preferably a bishop) to force a godawful mating march. Remember that B+B or B+N can win, but N+N vs K is a draw in the practical sense. More likely, as dysfl suggests, the Q can check like crazy, but make no real headway. And how can even three pieces coordinate a delicate mating maneuver with a powerful queen to contend with? But I must also second the thoughts of philaretus : it's not worth your study. Indeed in this case I suspect the draw would make itself evident over the board in fairly short order. |
| i_play_slowly 10/25/2004 11:09:22 [ report this post ] | the queen won Message: i was once in the position of having three minor pieces, but my opponent's queen was resouceful in issuing double attacks, and my pieces were soon whittled down. |
| chrisp 10/25/2004 11:37:08 [ report this post ] | King's Indian defence Message: There is a line in the King's Indian Defence where black sacrifices his queen in the opening for 2 bishops and 2 pawns - leads to an interesting game. I used to play this occasionally about 6-7 years ago. At that time it was considered to be double edged and playable for black. I must check recent advances in this opening and see if the variation is still considerd playable. The material difference is similar to what you enquired about. regarding Q v. 3Pieces - I would generally prefer to have three pieces, although I can't imagine it happening very often!! chrisp |
| premium_steve 10/25/2004 11:57:31 [ report this post ] | cool! Message: can you give the moves to that opening sacrifice, chrisp? |
| cryptos 10/28/2004 10:43:19 [ report this post ] | Q vs 3 pieces. Message: If there are prawns still on the board then the queen still has a good chance of winning. One of the main factors is if the pieces are on 'outposts', or defending each other. If they aren't then the queen has a good chance of getting in a lot of checks. There's a good Short vs. Korchnoi game which I'll post when I get the chance, where Short sacrifices his queen for three pieces and wins comfortably. :) |
| otter606 10/29/2004 00:20:55 [ report this post ] | thanks everyone Message: Thanks for the interesting replies, my own experiences come from miscalculations - thinking I could get the Q for 2 pieces then losing a 3rd - both times I have lost convincingly soon after this. |
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