Guess the Evaluation #1

Introduction

In a previous blog post I showed you the Guess the Move method. Today I am going to show you a method to train evaluating positions. This is another part of my new training plan. The ability to evaluate positions is very important in chess. With correct evaluation you can create a good game plan. In the future I will write article about creating game plan.

Guess the Evaluation method

The method is very easy to understand. It is called Guess the Evaluation. As the name suggests, we guess the evaluation of a position. At the beginning we take a random position, preferably from the middle game, possibly from the endgame. I do not recommend taking a position from the opening because it's usually equal. Once we have a position, we evaluate it. You can have your own position evaluation algorithm or find a ready-made one on the internet.

My way of evaluating positions is not yet perfect, I definitely need to improve it.

My position evaluation algorithm:

1. Material
2. Safety of kings
3. Activity of the pieces
4. Pawn structure.

I look at the position and go through each point of the algorithm.

I will soon write a separate blog post about evaluating chess positions in which I will explain each point of the algorithm in detail.

Once you have evaluated the position and know which side is better, you choose one of the following options:

Possible answers:

1. White is winning
2. White is better
3. Position is equal
4. Black is better
5. Black is winning

Now, let's see how the Guess the Evaluation method works in practice.

Examples

Example #1

1. First we must count material. Black is a bishop and a pawn up.
2. Now we check safety of kings. White's king is safe and Black's king has not castled yet, there is a threat of Rc8+.
3. Then we compare the activity of the pieces. White has better rooks and queen. White's knight is also better than black's knight. Black, however, still has an active bishop.
4. Finally we need to check pawn structure. Black has no weaknesses, and has two passed pawns. White has a weak pawn on d4.

Since the king's safety is most important, my evaluation of the position is that white wins.
White will play Rc8+ and gain the rook on h8. White will be exchange up. Black cannot capture the white rook from f1 because he will get checkmated in two moves.
Engine agrees with me it's +3.3.

Example #2

1. White is a knight and a pawn up.
2. It's endgame so both kings are safe.
3. White knights are better than black knight.
4. White had passed pawn.

White is of course winning.
Engine says it's +7.

Example #3

1. Material is equal.
2. Both kings are safe.
3. White has slightly more active pieces.
4. Both sides have good pawn structure.

My guess is that position is equal.
Engine shows that it's +0.3 so it's equal position.

Ending

That's all for today's blog post. If you liked this method leave a heart so I know you want to see more methods like this.

One more thing. If you are interested in fighting against computers and believe in the chances of the human race, consider joining The Club of Believers.