prize13-5, Exercise 3: Counting material

Model answer (check the details):

Take the position after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6, which is the second FEN in the chapter:

    r1bqkbnr/1pp2ppp/p1p5/4p3/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq - 0 5

    print(material(ruy))   # (36, 36)

Each side has lost 3 points: White gave up a bishop and Black a knight. So material is level.

What it does not tell you: that Black now has doubled pawns on the c-file but also the pair of bishops, that White's king is still uncastled, whose move it is, and who has the initiative. The point values are conventions, and the structural facts that theorists from Philidor to Steinitz taught players to value are not captured by a simple count.

Care: the script counts pieces only and was run on the two positions shown.