Consult
In chess, questioning is understood to mean the attack on an actively positioned chess piece of the opponent (e.g. an outpost ) with an inferior or equivalent piece. As a result, the opposing piece is faced with the decision to move to another space, to actively trade or to stand still on the space and possibly be exchanged (or, if attacked by a piece of inferior value, to sacrifice itself ).
François-André Danican Philidor , the leading chess player of the 18th century, set up the principle that pawns who had advanced to the fifth row had to be questioned with one of their own pawns as quickly as possible in order to either loosen the opposing position or exchange with the development of the to achieve your own characters.
When a figure outpost on one side can no longer be consulted, he usually gives his side an advantage. A typical example of this is the so-called Eternal Springer .
example
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Questioning of the white bishop in the Spanish opening by 3.… a7 – a6
By far the most frequent questioning in chess practice takes place in the third move of the Spanish game : After 3. Bf1 – b5 Black mostly moves a7 – a6 and gives the attacked Bb5 the immediate choice of swapping with Nc6 or withdrawing to a4. In the latter case Black can force the bishop to retreat further to b3 with b7 – b5 if necessary.
literature
- Aaron Nimzowitsch : My System , Chapter 7, Item 3, a) "Questioning" and Chapter 7, subchapter "Games to be fettered".