Michael Nelson writes: 'It may be that number of moves to attack a goal
piece is not always accurate, though no examples spring to mind. Clearly
more resarch is needed to decide the best measure.'
I believe that we will always have to rely on subjective evaluation. Any
attempt to quantify runs into paradoxes like: The Fool's Mate in Shatranj
is only fifty percent longer, compared to FIDE chess.
1. Pawn d2 - d3
1. Knight g8 - f6
2. Knight b1 - d2
2. Knight f6 - d5
3. Pawn b2 - b3
3. Knight d5 - c3