More magic.

I just realized one of the reasons I like chess so much.
In life, you usually can't create things out of thin air. "Matter can neither be created nor destroyed." Similarly, all of the fields of science I have studied tell me that you can't create or destroy energy.

But something funny happens in chess. And I guess in other games and life.
You can make a decision, move a pawn, exchange queens, etc., and suddenly you have more or less of something. Quality. If I move my pawns in a way that blocks one bishops movements. It becomes "bad--" a "bad bishop." Typically knights and bishops are worth about the same in value. But suddenly, I feel much more inclined to trade. And so, to improve my position, I can trade my "bad" bishop for my opponent's knight. It might look like things are equal at first glance, but I'm really creating more quality in my position.