Kings Fortress

EIGHT SQUARE™ - King’s Fortress Castling is a special move that requires some special conditions. Neither the king nor the rook may have moved from their original positions, and there must be no pieces between the king and rook. Also, the king must not be in check. Castling allows the king to move two spaces, instead of just one, to the side and the rook closest to the new position to move next to the king on the opposite side. This is usually done with one hand moving the king first, followed by the rook. By moving the king first, this move is not confused with a legal move by the rook.

Black does a kingside castle on fourth move

Castling is both strategic and a surprise. Castling is strategic because castling is a efficiently way to get one’s king to safety. Also, castling during the open can connect the rooks which can be a powerful defensive position in itself. It also can be a surprise because the king can perform either a kingside castle (chess notation 0-0) or queenside castle (chess notation 0-0-0). The kingside castling can take place as early as the forth move! This early kingside castling to get the king to safety defends against quick checkmates and absolute pins while also creating a fortress that safeguards the king. Though the queenside castling usually occurs during the middle game, it also creates a shield for the king and puts the rook in a position to join the battle. It is as though a castle’s drawbridge is lowered and the king’s personal guards join the battle. Because it can apply pressure on the opponent’s pieces immediately, this can make the queenside castling a more offensive move than the kingside. Castling can be deferred until an imminent threat is detected and the castling move can be used to dash the king away and ©2008 James Jones. All rights reserved.

EIGHT SQUARE™ - King’s Fortress thwart the threat. The danger with this is that the threat must be detected in time, and the king’s new position must be more secure than it’s previous one. Further, after a castling move, some squares that had been protected may no longer be, creating an opportunity for material capture. Castling provides superior protection to the king. Yet, it also creates weaknesses. Namely, a direct attack on the phalanx of pawns protecting the King can create check opportunities. Even if material is lost in exposing the King.

It’s black’s move. Can black get white in check?

Many chess tactics attempt to engage the opponent’s king early and thereby prevent the king from castling to safety. If successful, these tactics force an opponent to use more material to protect the king, open the king to more lines-ofattack, or disrupt their opponent’s plans. In particular, if the king can be chased towards the center of the board, there can be ample chances to force a checkmate or skewer major pieces.

©2008 James Jones. All rights reserved.