Space advantage
If one of the players controls a larger part of the chessboard than his opponent in the game of chess and therefore has more space (more fields) for maneuvering the pieces, he has an advantage of space . Space advantage is an indication that its owner also has a positional advantage , but this is not always the case. Many openings , especially those by Black, amount to giving the opponent space advantage first and then attacking his advanced stones. Conversely, there are openings in which even a piece is sacrificed in order to gain space.
The space advantage in the opening and middle game is largely determined by the pawn structure, but in the endgame the position of the pieces, especially the kings , can be decisive.
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The far advanced farmers secure the space advantage. White is more flexible and can therefore act better than Black with his pieces.
Game examples in which space advantage played a decisive role
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Black is at a loss
This is one of the most overwhelming examples of the space advantage in a real game of chess. Black is pressed against the wall, the lady locked up. His attempts to consolidate the position only resulted in a quick tactical solution:
- 23.… Ne7 – f5
- 24. Nb1-c3 Bf8-e7
- 25. Nc3xd5 Nf5xd4
- 26.Nf3xd4 e6xd5
- 27.Qg4xd7 + Nb8xd7
- 28. Nd4 – e6 #
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White draws and realizes a decisive advantage
In this apparently completely blocked position, White has crossed the middle line with three pawns and thus has a clear space advantage. That alone wouldn't necessarily be enough to win the game. But this is made more difficult for Black by the double pawn in the e-file, which on the one hand keeps Bg7 alive for all time and on the other hand is no help for the queenside pawns that the white battery Be3 / Qf2 is aiming at. With these advantages, white is able to make a breakthrough :
- 34. b3 – b4!
If Black now plays 34 ... c5xb4, then after 35.Be3xb6 the white pawn roll c4 / d5 will overrun him. On the other hand, any swap of the Bb4 that opens the b-file for the white rooks would also be fatal. So only remains:
- 34 ... a5xb4
- 35. a4 – a5!
If, after capturing a5, point c5 falls, pawn c4 is free again. Black therefore tried:
- 35.… Ra8 – c8 , but after
- 36. a5xb6 Qd6xb6
- 37. Qf2-a2 Be8-d7
- 38. Qa2-a7
Bronstein penetrated the black position and won the game. Without the space advantage, that would not have been promising.