Why would you want to trade pieces? To preface this, I am very new to chess. I knew the rules for years but I started actually taking the game more seriously and learning strategies just over 2 weeks ago.
One thing I consistently see in high elo games is that they trade same value pieces constantly.
What am I missing? From my point of view, they are getting no value and just wasting a turn...
There are a few classic reasons which tend to make exchanging pieces favourable. None of these are absolute; in any given position, short-term tactical considerations may dominate. But you might like to keep the following themes in mind which can favour exchanges:
(1) You have a material advantage.
(2) Your opponent has a space advantage (your position is cramped).
(3) Your opponent has dangerous prospects of an attack on your king.
(4) The structure of a position (most typically, the pawn structure) favours you in the endgame.
In addition there are many familiar patterns whereby an exchange creates an advantage for you. For example, the opponent has to accept doubled pawns by a pawn recapture; or the opponent has to give up the right to castle by recapturing with the king (this often applies to queen exchanges in the opening). Or a particular exchange favours you, because your piece is passive / badly placed, while theirs is active / well placed.
(And just to complete the answer: as several people pointed out already, exchanging doesn't typically &quot;waste a turn&quot; because the opponent also uses a move to recapture. If for some reason forcing an exchange does involve giving away the initiative, then indeed that will often be a factor against it.)