Position vs. Pieces...Which advantage is stronger... (General)

by Tony Kosten , France, Thursday, January 18, 2007, 18:13 (6666 days ago) @ derekwolcott

? One of my friends mainly concerns himself with points and trying to gain a
? points advantage over the other player. He considers it the only important
? factor, to the point that he doesn't consider a player with positional
? advantage a threat if he has three or more points over that player.

When you are a beginner it isn't a bad idea to think a bit like this, but as you get stronger you learn that the placement of the pawns and pieces is often more important than a material advantage - just look at some games from Tal to see that he could be a queen down and still winning!