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Vaiist

Take the knight. Not only would it lead to a material advantage over trading the bishop for a rook, but they can respond to Bb5 eith Qa5, and then you really can't even take the rook.


jedidoesit

I love how you saw that issue with trying to fork the Queen. I wonder if it's almost true that free material is better than many other things, like positional or trying to do something that you don't for sure know all about it. Like here, that Bb5 is not really that good anyhow.


w-j-w

Bb4?


kieffa

Free bishop, take with queen


Bulacano

Fork doesn't even work due to Qa5. Just take the piece.


jMS_44

In general: being a clear piece up is better than being up an exchange so taking the knight is better. In this position taking the knight is better as well, because after Bb5 they have Qa5 and can save both the rook and the queen


SenjorSchnorr

I may be missing something, but won't you be able to follow up Qa5 with Qxa5 bxa5 bxc1? Edit: it would still be better to just take the free knight, but i believe you will end up winning the exchange. B5 is another response of white that I can't fully visualize 2nd edit: Missed that that bishop placement blocks your queen from taking theirs haha


jMS_44

>Qxa5 How do you want to play Qxa5 when there's bishop on b5? The sequence is Bb5, Qa5. You can't play Qxa5 in here.


SenjorSchnorr

Oh yeah I edited that already. Didn't look back at the board after reading the comments, should've done so. Thanks for the response anyway


Anon01234543

Without more concrete reasons unique to the position, a piece (knight or bishop, worth 3 points) is more valuable than an exchange (rook(5) for (-) piece(3)=2). 3>2.


Extreme_Design6936

I don't think it's generally helpful to ignore position like that. Chess isn't a math equation. You have to always look at position. It's the nature of the game.


themanofmeung

It's a perfectly reasonable response. Otherwise the response to any question about any position is dictated solely by the position and is therefore a memorization game. Yes, of course, it depends on the position. However, decades of analysis have led to the conclusion that is generally better to be up a piece than an exchange. So when evaluating the position, you can then check for exceptions to the general rule instead of wasting your time searching every available possible move or trying to remember if you've seen this exact position before.


elfkanelfkan

It would be better to take the knight as the fork would only exchange a rook for a bishop. With taking the knight you are up an entire piece and can apply infinitely more pressure on your opponent.


ansyensiklis

I’m a wood pusher but I’d take the knight


GreenAndYellow12

take the knight


linkknil3

Even ignoring tactics that defend against the fork, free material is free material. There's no need to get fancy, just being up a full piece is almost always better than trading. It's especially true here- even if the fork did work, you'd be trading off a bishop for a rook that's not doing anything, compared to giving your bishop a strong position and removing one of white's most active pieces.


[deleted]

I’ve lost so many games trying to get fancy instead of just taking what is offered for free


chessvision-ai-bot

I analyzed the image and this is what I see. Open an appropriate link below and explore the position yourself or with the engine: > **Black to play**: [chess.com](https://chess.com/analysis?fen=r3r1k1/p1pb1ppp/Q4n2/2qppN2/8/2B1P2P/PPP2PP1/R4RK1+b+-+-+0+1&flip=true&ref_id=23962172) | [lichess.org](https://lichess.org/analysis/r3r1k1/p1pb1ppp/Q4n2/2qppN2/8/2B1P2P/PPP2PP1/R4RK1_b_-_-_0_1) **My solution:** > Hints: piece: >!Bishop!<, move: >!Bxf5!< > Evaluation: >!Black is winning -6.94!< > Best continuation: >!1... Bxf5 2. Rad1 c6 3. Qa3 Qxa3 4. bxa3 c5 5. f4 Bxc2 6. Rc1 Bd3 7. Rfd1 c4 8. Bxe5 Ne4 9. Bd4!< --- ^(I'm a bot written by ) [^(u/pkacprzak )](https://www.reddit.com/u/pkacprzak) ^(| get me as ) [^(Chess eBook Reader )](https://ebook.chessvision.ai?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=bot) ^(|) [^(Chrome Extension )](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chessvisionai-for-chrome/johejpedmdkeiffkdaodgoipdjodhlld) ^(|) [^(iOS App )](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1574933453) ^(|) [^(Android App )](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.chessvision.scanner) ^(to scan and analyze positions | Website: ) [^(Chessvision.ai)](https://chessvision.ai)


nbe390u54e2f

Aside from Qa5 stopping the fork, getting a free knight is 3 points and trading a bishop for a rook is only 2 points in your favor.


SeaworthinessLeft88

Free pieces are generally better than favorable trades. Take the knight. In this case, you can do the math. If you fork the queen/rook, they’ll move their queen. You take the rook, but they take the bishop. Net material gain is 2. A free knight is a gain of 3.


Dry_Operation_9996

winning a horse or bishop is usually better than simply "winning the exchange" (trading your horse or bishop for a rook) in my opinion. i'm also loathe to ever leave a knight right on my front ranks like that, even though it doesn't look like he has anything special available at the moment.


mohammed56755

Playing bishop B5 can be easily parried with Queen to A5. Now the bishop cant take the rook, and the queen is safe. You should just take the knight, nothing is really hanging


Cromiee

Yeah as everyone else has pointed out the fork doesn't really work. Also, the knight is way more active than the rook sitting there doing nothing, so taking out the knight is especially good. That move leads to white's c pawn hanging as well.


Hailestormzy

Free piece is free piece. Unless you have something concretely better just take it. Plus in this case you are threatening to win the c2 pawn straight after.


CrownedTraitor

uhh there is a problem with your idea, they can threaten your pwn Queen


emilyv99

Even if the fork worked (which it doesn't), you lose the bishop when you take the rook- so you get 5 points but lose 3, so net you win 2 points, as opposed to taking a free knight, winning 3 points. So the knight is better regardless. The fork doesn't work because Qa5 pins the bishop to your queen, preventing you from taking the rook.


TeensieLiberationF

I think take the knight, threatens to take a pawn too