- Opening Chess Principles
The following chess principles are considered "the rule", though each one will have exceptions. Until a beginner learns when and why he should deviate from them, these chess principles should be adhered to religiously.
Develop your chess pieces! Beginning chess players need to see their
knights, bishops, rooks, and queen as soldiers sleeping in the chess
"barracks" on the back rank. Not until they are moved off of the back row (or
rank) will they be able to fight the enemy.
Attack the center four squares of the chessboard! As you learn how each of
your chess pieces and pawns captures, you need to be sure and attack e4, e5,
d4, & d5 at least as many times as your opponent does. Don't rush your
chess pieces to the outside files (a,b,g, & h) until the center of
the chess board is sufficiently threatened. The most frequent and most
violent attacks in chess will either come through the center of the chess
board or will come as a result of a center that wasn't attacked enough
times.
Protect your king! Always remember that despite all of the many, many
chess components that will demand your attention during a game of chess, all
of them are secondary to checking your king's safety before every move.
Normally, the king needs to be removed from the center of the
chessboard, where the action is most furious, by a special move
called "castling". When castling in chess, the king moves two
squares toward either rook, and that rook "leap frogs" over the
king landing on the square next to him. This is the only time in chess
when the king can move two spaces in one turn on the chessboard.
Several conditions must be met in chess before you can castle. First, this
must be the king's and rook's first move of the chess game. Second, there can
be no chess pieces sitting on the squares between the king and the rook.
Third, none of the three chess squares involving the king (the square he
starts on, the square he passes over, and the square he lands on) can be
in check (threatened by an opposing piece).
- Challenge the Trespasser.
When a knight, bishop, or any enemy piece trespasses on your half of the
chessboard, especially in the center, you must confront him soon by attacking
him, trading with him, or driving him away. Don't allow his threat to chess
squares in your camp to continue. As play goes on, your opponent will try
to infiltrate other chess pieces into your camp protected by the first piece
that trespassed. Stop this cancer from spreading by opposing any and every
piece that enters your territory. Don't give your opponent a foothold in
your domain by letting one of his pieces establish an outpost that can be
used as a springboard for an invasion.
- Chess Notation
There are many types of chess notation, but the simplest one is the one we
will use. First, turn your chess (or checker) board so that the right hand
corner of the board, as you and your opponent face it, is the light color
square. If the squares are white and green, then the right hand corner of
the chessboard is white. If the squares of the chessboard are red and
black, then the right hand corner is red. When setting up the chessboard,
right is light!
Next, set up your chess pieces. If you don't know how, I recommend that
you purchase a cheap chess set (usually $5.00 from Wal-Mart) and follow the
directions. You may have a friend that can help, or you can borrow a chess
book from the library. When setting up your chess pieces, remember to
place the queen on her own color. This means the white queen goes on the
fourth square from the left on the back row nearest to the person playing the
white chess pieces. This will be a white square. The black queen will be on
the fourth square from the right of the person playing the black chess
pieces - a black square.
We now have to label the ranks (rows of squares running left to right) and
the files (rows of squares running "up and down" or from one chess player to
the other) on the chessboard. Ranks are labeled with numbers, and files
are labeled with letters. You can actually write the numbers and letters
on the chessboard much like the board game "Battleship". Your ranks are
numbered from the white side of the chess board to the black side. The row
with the white queen and the other white chess pieces on it (not pawns) is
rank #1. The white pawns are on rank #2. The black queen and the other
chess pieces are on rank #8.
The chess files are lettered "a" through "h". As the chess player playing
the white pieces looks at the chess board, the white queen is on the "d"
file, while the white king is on the "e" file.The bishop to the right of the
king is on the "f" file, while the bishop to the left of the queen is on the
"c" file of the chess board.
Just as in "Battleship", chess squares have a first name and a last name.
The first name of each chess square is the letter of the file they're in, and
their last name is the number of the rank they are on. This helps us
correctly identify the movements of each chess piece. Since the letter is
given first when naming a chess square, what name would you give to the chess
square on which the white queen starts the game? That's right, d1, because
she sits on the intersection of the "d" file and the first rank. The black
queen sits on d8 to start the game. Chess notation is dependent on this
system.
When we notate or write down the moves of a chess game, we simply write
down the name of the square that the chess piece WAS on and the name of the
square that the chess piece is GOING TO. If we were to move the white pawn
in front of the white king two spaces ahead, the move would read e2 - e4.
The hyphen means the word "to". This signifies that whatever chess piece was
on e2 now has moved to e4. This system of chess notation has proven to be the
least confusing to my beginning chess students over the years.
A typical layout of a notated game will look like this:
Betty Jo Bob
White
Black
1. e2 - e4 e7 - e5
2. f1 - c4
b8 - c6
3. d1 - h5
g8 - f6
4. h5 x f7 #
The "#" sign means checkmate (chess game over). Sometimes a "++" sign is
used and means "game over" also. A single "+" means check (king is attacked
by an enemy chess piece). The white queen has checkmated the black king in
the above chess game. She has threatened to take the black king
(check), and he is unable to escape from his position on the
chessboard (mate). The king cannot take the white queen for the king would
then be in check (threatened) by the white bishop. A king can never put
himself in check in a game of chess!
In the short form of chess notation , we will add the letters B, N, R, Q,
and K before the chess notation to identify which chess piece is being moved.
Each letter replaces the first move and hyphen in the chess notation. The
bishop uses the letter B, the knight uses N, the rook uses R, the queen uses
Q, and the king uses K. No capital letter in chess notation indicates a
pawn is being moved. Moving the white knight from g1 to f3 in chess short
form notation would read Nf3. When a capture takes place, we use the letter
"x". For example, exd5 means that the pawn on e4 just took the piece or pawn
on d5.
So, you should now be equipped to read and understand the next lesson on
chess, and begin writing down (notating) your own chess games as you play
them. Taking the time and effort to write down your chess moves will
accelerate your learning tenfold!
When you notate a chess game, you can go over it by yourself, with a
friend, or pay to have it analyzed by an experienced chess teacher. As your
knowledge grows, you can review your own chess games learning where your
mistakes lay and why they are mistakes. A notated chess game offers
continual lessons that otherwise would have been lost forever!
- Double Parked
Did you ever have someone block your car with theirs? Or have you ever
known anyone to stop in the middle of a doorway to start a conversation with
someone forcing you to stop and ask to be excused so that you could get
through? Then you can relate to this tip.
One of the most obvious signs of an inexperienced player is the common
blunder Bd3 before d4 for the white pieces (Bd6 before d5 for the black
pieces).
The bishop blocks the d pawn from developing and requires a
second move by the bishop before it can be free - a needless loss of
time.
The bishop can move to b5, c4, or e2 prior to playing d4, but it shouldn't
move to d3.
Be polite to your teammates! Don't get in each other's way while rushing
to develop your pieces!
- Draws
There are three possible outcomes to a chess game: win, lose, or draw. A
draw means that the game was tied and that neither player won.
Stalemate is one of the three kinds of draws. A player can draw by any of
the following ways:
1. stalemate
2. fifty-move rule
3. three fold repetition
Stalemate occurs when it is one player's turn to move but he has no legal
move. For example, if it is white's turn, and he has only his king which is
located on h1 while black has a queen on f2 and a king on g8.
White is unable to move even though it is his turn. It is against the
rules of chess for the king to put himself into check. So, this game is a
draw, by stalemate, and neither player wins despite black having a huge
material advantage.
The fifty-move rule is achieved when there are no pawn moves and no
captures for fifty consecutive moves. If a pawn move or a capture takes
place, then the count resets to zero and begins again. Upon reaching fifty -
which must be verified by writing down your moves or having a tournament
director witness it - either player may claim a draw.
This usually takes place when two players have only a piece or two left
and are unable to achieve mate.
The three fold repetition rule says that if the exact same position occurs
on the board three times during a game, either player may claim a draw.
Sometimes this situation is forced - perpetual check is one example - and
other times this is stumbled into. Again, this situation must be documented
to be enforced.
To better understand the application of this rule, you must be able to
take pictures of the board three different times during a game and have the
resulting pictures turn out identical to each other.
Most often, this situation occurs after consecutive back and forth moves
where two players are trying to attack, retreat, attack again with the same
move, retreat again, etc.
- Eliminate the Defender.
Many times you can win a chess piece by first attacking it and then
attacking any piece defending it. When you take the piece whose job was
protecting the first piece, your play results in leaving the first chess
piece en prise, or unprotected. You may now be able to capture the first
piece free and clear.
- Fool's Mate (Two-move mate)
This mate is aptly named as it ignores the basics of the opening
principles. It results in a two-move mate for black. Here it is:
1. f4 e6 2. g4 Qh4#
Believe it or not, this really happens. I've seen it a number of times in
my lifetime.
The Scholar's Mate (four-move mate) is demonstrated in article entitled
"Chess Notation."
- Forcing Moves
Forcing moves are those
moves on your part which do not allow your opponent the freedom to choose
his reply. Because of your threat or pending threat, your opponent is
limited in his responses.
This is good for you as your opponent may be absorbed in his own plans and
miss making the correct response to your threat resulting in material,
position, or time.
If you attack an opponent's undefended piece, you force him to move,
trade, or intervene with another piece depending on the relative value of the
pieces. Should your opponent ignore your threat, he loses
a piece.
By making forcing moves, you give your opponent an
opportunity to respond incorrectly.
- General Sherman vs. General Thomas
Most inexperienced players are quicker to go onto the attack than they are
to stay home and play defense. A balance is necessary, of course, but with
many players the scales of time spent forming strategy are usually tipped
in favor of the attack.
While one must attack to have any hope of
winning, inexperienced players frequently leave gaping holes in
their defense while attacking, subjecting themselves to severe counter
attacks.
In the Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman was famous for cutting
loose from his supply lines and going on the attack (Sherman's March to the
Sea). Living off the land, he could advance an army of Union
soldiers without worrying about the enemy destroying his supply lines.
Yet, General Grant only allowed this march on condition he send a respectable
force back from Atlanta to Nashville in order to defend the North from a
Confederate army on the loose.
General George Henry Thomas, however, was firstly concerned about defense
and protecting his inexperienced recruits. Thomas' troops were never
unprepared for a surprise attack (Mills' Springs - first Union victory),
were never destroyed even when outnumbered (Chickamauga - Thomas' men
saved the Union army from total destruction), and always prepared thoroughly
before attacking (Nashville).
Though both styles have merit, Thomas' victory at Nashville, was the only
battle where a Confederate army was annihilated, rendering it useless for the
remainder of the war. His crushing attack came only after his
well-prepared defense had allowed him the luxury of building up his
resources so that he could over power his foe and maintain his attack once
started.
Inexperienced players would do well to consider the merits of resisting
the fame that comes from being an attacker, and cultivate a love for defense
that paves the way for balanced, secure attacks void of lethal
enemy counter attacks. Remember the age old quote, "Offense sells the
tickets; defense wins the game!"
- Greek Gift (submitted by National Master Corey Russell)
Almost everyone has heard of the Trojan Horse which housed soldiers, and a
city took it in (they didn't have to).While the city, Troy, was sleeping, it
was overrun with enemy soldiers that emerged from the giant horse.
In chess, the idea is similar. A "greek gift" move is a "gift" of material
(pawn, bishop, rook, queen, etc.) that isn't really a gift at all. If a
person takes a "greek gift", then the other person gets more in compensation
(a mating attack, long-lasting initiative, etc.). Another chess term for a
Greek gift is a "sham sacrifice". A sham sacrifice is when one chess player
sacrifices material, but will get it back or mate shortly if the opponent
takes.
- Horses on the cliff.
Don't place your knights on the outside file of the chessboard unless you
have a specific need for such play. His usual power of attacking eight
squares on the chess board at one time is cut in half on the outside of the
board. Compare the number of squares the knight can threaten from f3 as
opposed to h3. Play your horses away from the edge of the chess cliff.
- Kings Bite.
The king appears mighty weak in the early stages of chess play because of
his limited range of travel and his vulnerability to the attack of other
chess pieces. However, as play goes on and pieces are removed from the board
by out right capture or trade, the king's ability to capture becomes more and
more important. We will see that even in the middle stages of a chess game
that the king can help turn an offensive threat against him into a weak play
by using his ability to capture.
- Lady-in-Waiting
Develop your other chess pieces first before you send the queen into
combat. If you move her highness out before the other pieces (in chess, pawns
are not considered pieces, so the word "pieces" refers to knights, bishops,
and rooks), you give your chess opponent an opportunity to develop
with tempo by attacking the lady general. You lose time trying to develop
your other chess pieces by having to relocate your queen.
Chess is a game of
time, and wasted time leads to missed opportunities. Just as in baseball you
have only so many chances (outs) to accomplish something (runs), in
chess you have only so many moves to gain control of squares on the board
that will limit your opponent's movement. Don't fritter these opportunities
away by letting your chess opponent take pot shots at your queen with his
knights, bishops, and rooks forcing her to move again and again.
Your queen
should come out after most of the other chess pieces are developed and
offer them support. Yes, she can be the powerful offensive leader on the
chess board, but often she is better off letting the less valuable chess
pieces go first into enemy territory and give them her support from the home
side of the chess board. Let your chess queen be a lady-in-waiting.
- Open and Closed
Paul Morphy championed the open game, characterized by an exchange of some
of the center pawns. Playing e4 on white's first move followed soon by d4,
usually results in pawn exchanges that open files. Open files tend to
lead to an action filled game with pieces deploying rapidly along these
open "roads".
The closed game normally results from white playing d4 first. If black
follows with d5, white cannot answer with e4 because the square isn't
protected. Since the exchange of pawns doesn't result, no lines ("roads") are
opened and pieces can't easily and freely move about. This restricted set
up is called a closed position.
Closed games are usually more complicated than open games. Beginners would
do well to cut their teeth on e4 openings until they acquire confidence
handling chess fundamentals. When ready for a more complicated
test, players can bite into games starting with d4.
- Opening Checklist
Before you use the checklist, first play a game of chess and notate your
moves. With the following checklist you will be able to do your own limited
chess analysis of the beginning portion of your chess game or someone
else's.
In the first ten moves of your chess game you should accomplish the
following seven items: Move both center chess pawns (d and e file) and move
at least one of them two squares (this will take you 2 moves); develop both
knights (2 moves) and bishops (2 moves) off of the back row of the chess
board; castle - usually with the rook on the "h" file (1 move). Beginning
chess players will do well to adhere to this checklist legalistically.
Eventually, they will encounter situations in chess games that will teach
them when it is necessary to forget this approach, but these chess situations
should be the exception and not the rule. I still follow this checklist in my
own chess games and have now for over thirty years.
One example of an exception to this chess checklist is when you have a
chance to win an opponent's piece. Go ahead and take the piece; then return
to completing your chess checklist. Another exception occurs when your
chess opponent tries to mount a quick mating attack. You must make the
necessary moves to defend against the threat and resume your chess checklist
when possible.
- Opening Map (submitted by Candidate Master Daniel Waite)
One of my coaches encouraged me to develop an "Openings Map" that would
script out what I would do against various openings. I would suggest the
same.
My 1.e4 Opening Map is a simple to use format that allows me to play solid
but relatively off beat ideas.
Sicilian 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 (or most other moves) 3. Bb5.
French 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 (I've also played with 3.exd5)
Caro-Kan 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 followed by c3, Nd2, Bf4, Nf3,
et. al.
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 and head for a King's Gambit. I play Bc4 first because the
idea is to get the other guy to commit before playing f4. Thus, no pet KG
defenses. Then again, if the Ruy Lopez is working well, there is no reason to
switch. The array of possible defenses to the RL is almost infinite, so I
never took the time to learn it. Plus, it doesn't really fit my grind and
slash style.
1.e4 d5 (You're on your own for this one. Since the Center Counter is my
favorite defense, I wouldn't want to give something away. The one thing I can
say is that every book I have on the subject is full of too many holes. Lots
of possibilities here for an enterprising student.)
- Pawn Forks.
Look out when placing pieces in the pawn fork formation, two spaces apart
on the same rank (row of squares running from left to right). Be sure a pawn
won't move and attack both pieces at the same time.
Consider the
following:
1. e4, e5 2. Nf3, Nc6 3. Nc3, Nf6 4. Bc4
This scenario, where white's bishop is sitting directly in
front of its knight on c3, lends itself to a popular pawn fork. Black now
plays 4 ... Nxe4, apparently losing the knight for a pawn. However, after 5. Nxe4, Black replies with the
pawn fork d5! Though this only regains material equality, the
psychological blow is real. White is taken out of his plan and forced
to improvise with a new game setting.
Throughout the game, be wary of these little land mines. They can grind
your attack to a halt and shift the advantage to your opponent. Or, they can
give you the sudden break you've been looking for if your opponent steps into
your pawn fork trap.
The major threat from a pawn fork comes from
forgetting about it when you're dealing with weightier matters.
Yet, constantly looking for and successfully executing one pawn fork can
turn your chess play into victory.
- Pawn Groups
After you have battled hard, traded pieces, and fought for position, you
often reach the end game even with your opponent. You each have some pawns, a
piece or two, and your king. Or perhaps you simply have only your king and
several pawns.
Is there a way to gain an advantage with your pawns over your opponent?
The answer is yes. However, your seed must be sowed AHEAD of time if you're
going to reap the benefits at the harvest.
In the end game, pawns create powerful advantages due to their ability to
promote, that is, turn into any piece (except for a king or another pawn)
upon reaching the 8th rank. If you have more pawns than your opponent, if one
of your pawns is advanced along a file to the point where no enemy pawn
can stop him by capturing him, or if your pawns are generally further
advanced enabling them to reach promotion quicker in a foot race, you have
created an important advantage.
But there is also a lesser known way to ensure that your pawns are of
maximum value to you in the critical end game stage.
Keep your pawns in as few groups as possible!
What in the world is a pawn group? Well, when you start the game you have
one row of eight connected pawns. This is one group.
If a pawn is captured, then that file becomes "open", void of any of your
pawns. This open file creates two pawn groups, one group on either side of
the file.
Say that you are playing the white pieces, and your e pawn captures your
opponent's d pawn. It, in turn, is captured by black's e pawn. Your open e
file now divides your pawns into two distinct groups: those on files a-d and
those on files f-h.
The pawns within each group can move to protect another pawn or two that
is also in that group. The f pawn, for example, can move to f3 to protect the
g pawn should it advance to g4.
Can the f pawn protect the d pawn in like fashion? No, because there is an
open e file that separates them.
Suppose that not only the e pawn was gone but the c pawn was also gone.
How many pawn groups would there be?
Three is correct! You have two pawns (a & b files), one pawn (d file),
and three pawns (f-h files). Additionally, the d pawn is especially weak
because it is all alone. It is called an isolated pawn.
So what is the point here? What's the significance?
Okay. Let me use an illustration. As I am writing this, I am at a zoo
(near Orlando, Florida). I'm driving the bus for our school's summer day camp
field trip. I'm sitting at a table in the outdoor eating area watching 26
kids try to fend off three mooching peacocks running loose and bent on
joining the group for lunch.
Would it be easier for the workers to help guard the children if they were
all seated together or if they were spread out over three separate
locations?
Together, of course. The further apart they are, the harder it is to keep
running from one group to the next.
This is exactly the way it is in chess with pawn groups. The more you
have, the harder it is for the workers (pieces) to protect them from the
enemy pieces.
The secret to having as few pawn groups as possible is to constantly check
them throughout the game. Ask yourself, "Will this move result in an increase
in the number of my pawn groups?"
Don't get radical and sacrifice a piece in order to prevent creating an
extra pawn group. Just add this to your list of things to check every time
you make a move, and you'll find your pawn structures at the end of
the game will help you withstand enemy threats a little better as you
march your pawns to promotion and victory!
- Public Enemy #1 - Running a Red Light!
Picture a traffic light in your mind. What color is the top light? Red,
right! And what color is immediately below that? Yellow, correct! And, of
course, green is the last color. Now what do you do every time that you come
to a red light? You stop, of course. And that is exactly what you should
do every time your opponent makes a move in a chess game - STOP! DON'T MAKE A
MOVE until you have asked yourself WHY DID HE MAKE THAT MOVE?
The yellow
light indicates that caution should be taken when you play chess before
you plunge ahead with your next move. The green light in a chess game
indicates going ahead with your attack plan, unless you need to use the next
move first for defense in order to stop your opponent's attack. When you
play chess, the traffic light is the number one requirement to use after
each and every move of every chess game.
This may seem elementary, but many good players ask themselves these
questions MOST BUT NOT ALL of the time when they play chess, leaving a great
feast available for you on the few moves where they forget. Many an
inroad has been made into enemy territory by capitalizing on your chess
opponent's lack of concentration. To double the strength of this chess tip,
simply apply these questions to your own chess game when it is your turn, and
your opponent will immediately have fewer opportunities to infiltrate
your territory and play chess on your half of the board. The last of my
chess tips says, "Discipline yourself to ask these three questions after
every move by your opponent:
1) Red Light - Stop! Why did he make that
move?
2) Yellow Light - Caution; Be Careful! Is his move a threat to me
somehow?
3) Green Light - Go! Can I proceed with my plan of attack or do I
need to stop his threat with my next move? "
- Public Enemy #2 - All Offense and No Defense!
The old sports saying, "Offense sells the tickets; defense wins the
games," accurately portrays the trap that many fall into as they play chess.
Caught up with the "rush" that comes from "going after the kill," many chess
players forget that the player which they are hunting also has a gun and
is out HUNTING THEM! You'll win many of your chess games simply by playing
defense against an offensive-minded player and waiting for an opening to
occur. You have to be ready to switch quickly from defense to offense, but
the wait will be worth it.
Thinking defense will help you win games by
taking advantage of the offensive-minded impatience of others, it will help
you to develop your own defensive skills, and it will help curb any offensive
impatience that you may have, bringing your chess game into a strong and
deadly balance. Remember then the second of my chess tips: a chess game is
always made up of BOTH offensive and defensive concerns, and that offensive
strategies should be timed to coordinate with a solid defense.
- Public Enemy #3 - Lack of Development!
You have 7 pieces (plus 8 pawns) with which to do battle when you play
chess. They are soldiers that start the game in the barracks, asleep on the
back row of your chessboard. GET THEM OFF OF THE BACK ROW! They need to be
out on the battlefield to be effective. Do your opponent's pieces pose a
threat to you in a chess game when they are never moved off of the back row?
Of course not! So, give yourself an immediate advantage over many players
by heeding the first of my chess tips: take the time to develop your
pieces off of the back row BEFORE you mount an attack.
- Spend a Week at Work
When you go grocery shopping, you usually end up spending some of your
hard earned money. After you return home, you need to spend a week at work in
order to earn enough money to go shopping again.
This situation is so similar to capturing pieces on the chessboard that
it's almost eerie. Whenever I take an opponent's piece, I usually "spend"
some of the good position that I've established. The capture requires
me to extend the capturing piece out away from the protection of my other
pieces, leaving it vulnerable to attack. Or, it may double two of my pawns on
the same file causing awkward congestion.
Don't get me wrong;
capturing an enemy piece outright is worth the loss of position, temporarily,
unless your opponent has set you up to take the piece on purpose. He could
be removing a defender from your king by offering a "sacrificial piece" in
order to pave the way for an attack. Be sure to double check this.
Now that the opposing piece is captured, check and see if you have any
other immediate attacking possibilities. If not, return home and "spend a
week at work in order to earn enough money to go shopping again".
Your long term prospects have improved; your short term prospects have
worsened. Your opponent now has the next move. He can press the attack for a
while. You must take some time and make sure that your defenses are
not left open for a counter attack as a result of your capture.
Bolster your defenses, finish developing your pieces, castle your king,
make sure all of your pieces are defended to avoid forks by your opponent;
these are ways to "spend a week at work" so that when your position is again
solid, you may, again, go on the attack taking advantage of your superior
forces.
In a nut shell, capturing material may result in weakening your position.
Take the next few moves to play defense and fix any weaknesses before
resuming your attack. This limits your opponent's counter attack
possibilities while you are in a weakened positional state.
- Chess Walls of Jericho
Definition: chess "wall" pawns - the pawns at f2, g2, and h2 in front of
white's castled king (0-0) on g1; pawns at a2, b2, and c2 in front of white's
castled king (0-0-0) on c1. Black pawns of the same letter (f7, g7, etc.) on
the 7th rank are black's chess "wall" pawns. Don't move the chess
"wall" pawns in front of your castled king without strong reason. The
chess "wall" pawns are the line of defense closest to your king and need to
be intact in order to delay an assault by your chess opponent.. Moving them
out away from the king creates empty chess squares between them and
the king, room that an enemy chess piece may occupy or influence.
Avoid capturing enemy chess pieces and pawns with these chess "wall" pawns
if the capture can be done with one of your chess pieces (knights, bishops,
rooks, or queen). If you must capture with one of these pawns, remember that
you now have an open a file, or road, directly into your king's chamber.
You must now station chess pieces near enough to this breach to prevent enemy
infiltration. This may slow down your attack having one less chess piece
available for offense.
by chessdoctor.com.
Bob Ogden, Davenport, FL USA
