Compensation

Definition:

Compensation is usually defined as the factors that counterbalance an obvious disadvantage. The disadvantage can be

• material : like loss of a minor piece for two Pawns, or
  
  
• positional : like a badly placed piece.

The compensation for a disadvantage is positional and almost always intangible, meaning that it can't be valued using the familiar Pawn = 1 point, Knight = 3 points, etc. For example,

• the compensation for the loss of a minor piece for less than three Pawns might be an attack against the King; or
  
  
• the compensation for a badly placed piece might be a better Pawn structure with a hope of extricating the piece.

A good chess player looks for opportunities where the opponent might have misjudged the compensation in evaluating a position.