Center (chess)

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Center (•),
extended center (x)

When the center is called the chess game the four fields in the middle of the chessboard d4, d5, e4, e5 (see chess notation ). The fields c3, c4, c5, c6, d3, d6, e3, e6, f3, f4, f5, f6 are referred to as the expanded center .

meaning

The center is very important during all phases of a game of chess ( opening , middle game and endgame ), whereby other factors, such as passed pawns or the security of the king, also play an important role depending on the phase of the game . The battle for the center usually begins with the first moves. In addition to developing your own characters as harmoniously and quickly as possible, mastering the center is the most important strategic goal in the opening . Without sufficient control of the center, a wing attack is usually unsuccessful. Pieces positioned in the center affect the entire chessboard. Jumpers in particular , but also runners and the queen, have more options in the middle of the board than on the edge of the board.

At the time of the first official world chess champions , the center was filled with pawns from both sides if possible . Aaron Nimzowitsch later formulated the tenet that is still accepted today that instead of filling the center with pawns, it is sufficient to control the center with the pieces.

Types of center

According to Kotow, there are five important types of central peasant positions which, as a rule, have a decisive influence on the strategy of the two opponents.

• Dynamic center: The pawn position in the center is unclear, so the situation is very tense. All other center positions can result from this center. To find z. B. in the Scheveningen variant of the Sicilian Defense .
• Closed center: There are blocked pawn chains in the center. B. in the French defense .
• Open center: There are no farmers in the center.
• Moving center: In the center there are many uncommitted pawns. Examples of such centers can be found e.g. B. in the Alekhine Defense .
• Static center: There are blocked pawns in the center.

With a dynamic center, attention must be paid to attacks on the wings. The main danger for the attacker is a counterstrike in the center, on the mostly exposed king . It is therefore important for the defender to maintain tension in the center.

With the center closed, wing attacks are even more important. These are mostly done by peasant storms. If one side attacks on the wrong wing, the attack is usually ineffective. An active strategy requires consistency in implementation. A defense strategy is based on a counterattack on the other wing or (if possible) in the center. Passive defense is not enough and in almost all cases leads to loss.

With the center open, pawn attacks are bad. Here you should pay attention to active puppet play in order to gain advantage. A defense strategy is also based on active figure play and the exchange of attacking figures. If the development is lagging behind, the center must remain closed, otherwise the other side will quickly attack the passive position of the figure and gain an advantage.

With a moving center, the main strategy is to narrow the opponent as much as possible. This can be achieved through a targeted advance of the farmers. When the enemy has been so narrowed down, an attack on the wings follows. The defense is based on blocking the opposing pawn center.

With a static center, mastering the center is the basis for a strong attack on the king. The defense is directed against the opposing center control. With a static center, extremely long regroupings can be carried out in the center.

While the replay with the closed and static center is rather calm and strategic in nature, the replay in the open and moving center is fast and lengthy strategic plans are not appropriate. In the dynamic center, each party must constantly watch out for changes, so it is the most complicated form of center.

Examples from the opening

Zukertort - Steinitz, 1886

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Position after 6. e3

Botvinnik - Smyslov, 1954

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Position after 6.… Bf8 – g7

The diagram on the left shows a position of the rejected Queen's Gambit , which was often played to this day , and which appeared in the first official World Championship match between Johannes Hermann Zukertort and Wilhelm Steinitz in 1886 . Both sides have brought a pawn into the center and are trying to control it, creating something like equilibrium.

The diagram on the right shows the main variant of the Grünfeld-Indian Defense , which is also frequently played and was first played at a world championship in 1954 between Michail Botwinnik and Vasily Smyslov . White has built a massive pawn center (d4, e4), while Black has not placed any pawns in the center. To do this, Black controls the central squares e5 and d4 with his fianchetto bishop on g7 and then tries to build up more pressure on the white center with c7 – c5 and Nb8 – c6. As a result, there is roughly a dynamic equilibrium.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ see: Alexander Kotow: Textbook of chess strategy, Volume 2. Sportverlag Berlin, 1980 or Paul Keres / Alexander Kotow: The Art of the Middle Game. Dover 1989 (translated by H. Golombek, reprint of a Penguin Book from 1964). In the last book, the translation "We shall study five main types of pawn positions in the center (...)" leaves open whether Kotow considers the categorization into five types to be complete or exhaustive.