Cover (chess)

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In chess, overlap is a strategic concept in which a positionally important point, such as an advantageously placed pawn or a certain square, is protected by more pieces than would be necessary through direct attacks in the specific position. It is a prophylactic measure to prevent the opponent from attacking the covered point. In addition, the figures involved in the covering are more mobile than with precisely sufficient covering, in which the protective figures are usually tied to the covered point.

The overlap was particularly represented from the 1920s by the Latvian chess master Aaron Nimzowitsch , who was a representative of the hypermodern school of chess and dedicated a chapter to this concept in the part on positional play of his fundamental work Mein System . However, the idea he propagated of the central importance of cover for the defense could not prevail. It is considered to be one of the few performances by Nimzowitsch that has been largely forgotten or ignored since the publication of his work.

literature

  • The overlap. In: Aaron Nimzowitsch: My system. New edition based on the second edition from 1931. Series: Chess classics. Jens-Erik Rudolph Verlag, Hamburg 2010, ISBN 978-3-941670-19-8 , pp. 221-229.
  • Overprotection. In: Eric Schiller: Encyclopedia of Chess Wisdom. Second edition. Cardoza Publishing, New York 2003, ISBN 978-1-580420-88-4 , pp. 161-163.
  • Why should I bother to add protection to something that's already guarded? In: Bruce Pandolfini: Pandolfini's Chess Complete: The Most Comprehensive Guide to the Game. From history to strategy. Simon & Schuster, New York 1992, ISBN 0-671701-86-X , pp. 125/126.
  • John Watson: Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances Since Nimzowitsch. Gambit, London 1998, ISBN 978-1-901983-07-4 , p. 90.