Kevin Pacey wrote on Thu, Sep 27, 2018 07:30 PM UTC:
Regarding the 3 tempi are worth a pawn axiom in chess, I think this was long ago originally stated with the added condition that it was a rule of thumb that applied in particular for open positions. In closed positions, there is often no rush and a player is often able to afford the time to maneuver pieces to their best positions one at a time (I have neglected to mention the added condition of an open position in Notes sections of pages on chess variants I've invented, though, regarding my suggested hints on how to play them).
To be clearer, I'd only put the average difference between a N and B within the microscopic margin you suggested, in favour of the (single) B. However I have a soft spot for knights, though many chess players would more often than not just as soon not trade a B for a N as a Cadillac for a Chevrolet. I still remember the late world chess champion Tal looking away disappointedly when I traded away a B for a N against an older Grandmaster (GM) in the last round of an international event in Canada in 1988 (the fellow soon offered me a draw, as I still had the tiny edge of a slightly better pawn structure). An untimely and inappropriate recollection of a remark Dutch GM Timman made about Ns in a book of his was my undoing. I wouldn't be honest though if I didn't mention that I had had the bishop pair already in the game in question.
Regarding the 3 tempi are worth a pawn axiom in chess, I think this was long ago originally stated with the added condition that it was a rule of thumb that applied in particular for open positions. In closed positions, there is often no rush and a player is often able to afford the time to maneuver pieces to their best positions one at a time (I have neglected to mention the added condition of an open position in Notes sections of pages on chess variants I've invented, though, regarding my suggested hints on how to play them).
To be clearer, I'd only put the average difference between a N and B within the microscopic margin you suggested, in favour of the (single) B. However I have a soft spot for knights, though many chess players would more often than not just as soon not trade a B for a N as a Cadillac for a Chevrolet. I still remember the late world chess champion Tal looking away disappointedly when I traded away a B for a N against an older Grandmaster (GM) in the last round of an international event in Canada in 1988 (the fellow soon offered me a draw, as I still had the tiny edge of a slightly better pawn structure). An untimely and inappropriate recollection of a remark Dutch GM Timman made about Ns in a book of his was my undoing. I wouldn't be honest though if I didn't mention that I had had the bishop pair already in the game in question.