What are yours? and please give a ranked list from most favorite to lest favorite!
*note: i dont study the major chess games much, i just play, so this may be a little inacurate
1.Pawn-Pawns just seem so versitle, and they are numerous as well. They can be used to block areas or pieces, used to create an "outpost" in a certain location on the board, allowing you to put other pawns or advanced pieces where the pawns could guard it, used to be great area denial(Blocks in front, attacks 2 front diagonal, creating a mini "wall"), and in a very late game, can be used to promote. Their sheer numbers allows you to be more agressive compared to the advanced pieces.
2.Knights-They are very easy to develop, and can guard pieces at close range without being in the attack range of another piece. If your opponent is blind, you can use this to fork pieces, and maybe even fork while checking the king. Their value seems to depreciate overtime, since they only seem to be viable in "Tight spaces", but however, they are very good in the early/mid game.
3.Bishop-These are the second most easy to develop piece. They also are fast, and for low levels, can seem like a sniper(low levels are usually blind).Their speed mixed with their diagonal movement makes them great for hit and run,allowing them to "pierce" the enemy defense. This would force them to block the bishop somehow,or sometimes, you will be able to sacrifice your bishop later. These are great for early/mid game.
4.Queen-Its a mix of the bishop and a rook. It is great for check mating, and going into an area deep into the enemy territory when gaurded by a knight rook or bishop, and sometimes, maybe a pawn. The knight and the bishop seem to be better options for this, since in the late game, enemy territory does not seem so "deep" anymore. The only problem with the queen is that it must be guarded(yes, im aware of the queen sacrifice move) for most mid/low players, reducing how agressive you can use it.
5.King-Great area denial in the early game, and sometimes in the mid game. If you have a late game where the board has been "nuked", but you have pawns or a queen, you can guard these pieces with the king quite adequetely. Whats really bad about this piece is that if its checked, you waste a move, and ruin the position of your pieces.
6-Rook-Most of you probably put this higher on the list. But the rook is so difficult to develop in the early game, and in the early game transitioning to mid game, even if you did develop your rook, the spaces are so tight, and everything is so well guarded. In addition to that, the tight spaces allow an enemy pawn to force it back, and sometimes even trap it. The rooks only seem good for late game