You’ll learn what and how to castle, when and how to castle, and how you can attack your opponent’s casting.
- The origins of the term castling in chess
- Castling: How do you do it?
- Why castling?
- When to Castle
- How do you attack your opponent’s casting?
- Little castling or big castling?
Castling in chess is the origin of the term.
However, where did the word casting originate?
Treasures of the French Language reveals that rock was the name of the Chess Tower up to the 17th century. Roc is related to the Arabic Ruhh (chariot or chariot), which itself was taken from the Persian.
How to do castling?
Castling involves the King and one or both of the Rooks. If the King and this Rook remain in their original spaces and there are no additional pieces between them the player can move him two areas towards the Rook and then place the Rook in the room next to the King. Castling can be done on either the kingside (this small casting ) or the queenside, this great casting.
Below is a diagram of the two stages of White’s small casting and Black’s large casting. It is essential first to move the King and then the Rook. Otherwise, the move will be deemed illegal.
Castling is a special move. It allows you to move two pieces simultaneously, enables the King to move two squares simultaneously, and lets the Rook leap over another piece.
Castling is not allowed temporarily or permanently. If:
- There are a few pieces between the Rook and the King.
- The King and the Rook have already moved (and returned to their original square). White can cast large castings, even if the Rook has moved on h1.
- The King is under control if the square he has to cross is attacked or his arrival square is attacked. Castling is temporarily banned.
Castling is possible when the Rook has been attacked or an opponent’s piece strikes (in significant castling cases) square b1 and square b8. Even the most skilled players can sometimes be unsure. An interesting anecdote is that Viktor Korchnoi, in the 21st match against Anatoly Karpov in 1974, asked the referee if it was possible to castle in the following position.
Castling is a good idea.
To protect the King from attack, casting is almost always required. Castling the King to safety is one of four goals in the opening.
If the King is not in the center, he may be attacked, as shown in these examples.
Castling can also bind Rooks, which is to say that they can protect each other, allowing them to grow on the central columns.
Castle when?
To ensure your safety, it is a good idea to castle quickly.
However, this common sense rule is only with exceptions. Castling may be delayed or temporarily forgotten in the following situations:
- The exchange of Queens can simplify the situation. Without putting himself in danger, the King can be more helpful at the center of the board.
- This refers to pawns that entirely block the center line of the chessboard. This is when the game takes place on the wings. The King (or two Kings) can sometimes be protected more by staying in the middle.
- It is best to avoid a wing if the opponent has already begun an attack.
- Wait to see on which side the opponent is casting to determine if you can castle on the opposite side.
How do you attack your opponent’s casting?
The King can still be attacked by a castling attack, even though he is more secure when he has castled.
If White and Black have a castle on the same side, the casting attack usually consists of an attack with leftover pieces, sometimes supplemented occasionally by one or more! To destroy opposing defenses, sacrifices are made.
We can see the casting sacrifice in the game between Meri Arabidze and Anna Ushenina during the 2016 World Blitz Championship.
Because the Knight in F3, the bishop, and the white queen can quickly create threats on the black King, the sacrifice works, and the Rook in e1 will also be used promptly to deliver the final blow. Click on the moves to see the entire game.
21. Nxh6+gxh6Black may try to reject the sacrifice by playing 21…Rh8but White still has at least one pawn and can continue the attack with playing 22. Qg522. Qxh6White threatens mate on H722… Ng6Intercepts the bishop’s diagonal23. Ng5White threatens to mate on H722… Ng6Intercepts the bishop’s diagonal23. Bxd524. Dh7+Rf825. Dh7+Rf825. Nxe6+ and White have three passed pawns26. Nxe6fxe627. Qxg6+Qg7White might trade queens for extra material or passed pawns but would prefer to exploit the exposed position held by the black King.28 Qxe6+Qf729. Qg4+Qg730. Dh5Rf831. Re5 with the threat Rg5 winning over the Dark Queen. 31… Qf632. Tg5+1-0
Both players can attack each other with their pieces, but they can also use pawn pushes to open lines for the opposing player. This is often when we see the race where each player tries to create dangers first. Here’s an example:
Semion Alapin
Max Harmonist
July 19, 1887, Frankfurt am Main GER
1.e4 _e52. Nf3Nc63.c3 _d54. Da4f65.Bb5 _Ce76. exd5Qxd57.OO _Be68.d4 _exd49.cxd4 _OOO
We are now in a position where opposing castlings10. Nc3develop a piece, gaining time on Qf511.Be3_g5black launches an attack on the white King12.Tfc1_putting a Rook on a semi-open file in front of the opposing King is often a good idea12… H512… g4 would hunt down the Knight, but it could be to h4. 13.Ch4 _Dh514. g313.b4_White launches an attack on the Black King13…h4this time threatens g414. Ce1White foresees his Knight’s attack… g415. Bd3frees his pawn for White while attacking the black queen15… Dh516.b5_Nb817. Dxa7Bh618. Na4Rd6the whites endangered18… –19. Nb6#19. Nb6+Rxb620.Qxb6 is now threatening to mate on C720…C621. bxc6Nexc622.Tab1 _Qf723. Fa6 and blacks give in. The b7-square is again attacked, and23… bxa6collides 24. Qxb8+Kd725. Rb7#1-0
Castling: Little or large?
Castling is often chosen because it’s easier to do. Castling the big queen takes one more hit. It is sometimes necessary to lose another time to move the King from C1 to B1 (or from C8 to B8) to protect the A2 pawn.
Castling is an option if the kingside pawn structures are damaged or your opponent has begun to push his pawns or mount an attack there. You must first bring your King to safety!
Castling on the opposing side of your opponent can also be a great way to create an imbalance or take advantage of specific openings. This is true for White in many of the Sicilian Defence variants, including the Dragon version.
Summary
- Castling is a necessary step to ensure the safety of your King.
- The King can still be attacked even after being castrated.
- Castling Attacks Sometimes Require Piece Sacrifices
- In the case of opposing casting, pawn breakthroughs may also be used to open up lines.