Fritz 21 Handbook
Evaluation of the position
Chess engines evaluate positions with the help of a numeric value. The evaluation is expressed in pawn units, always from the point of view of White. If the program is displaying a value of +1.30, this means that it considers the white position to be better by the equivalent of 1.3 pawns. If White is actually a pawn up, then the additional 0.3 is the result of positional considerations (mobility, deployment of pieces, king safety, pawn structure, etc.). A display of –3.00 means that White is a piece down – either a bishop or a knight, which are both equivalent to about three pawns. Rooks are worth five and the queen about nine pawns. Of course the king's value is unlimited – lose it and you've lost the game.
Always it is the case: positive values favour White, negative values favour Black.
In addition to the precise pawn values, the evaluation is also given in standard chess symbols:
= | The position is about equal |
² | White is slightly better |
± | White is clearly better |
+- | White is winning |
-+ | Black is winning |
µ | Black is clearly better |
³ | Black is slightly better |