Attacking the Uncastled King: Tricks on f7

Aloha!  This is Mrs Jessica E Prescott again, the BoundingOwl!  We all know that f7 is the weakest square on the board.  And if you do symmetry, then you know that f2 is white's weakest square.  This is where the four-move Scholar's Mate happens...and so much more!

Why is the f7 square so weak?  Well, only the king is guarding this square and it's right up near him!  When black castles, all of a sudden f7 isn't so weak anymore. Why is that?

Castling is great because the rook can now help guard f7.  (Other squares like g7 or h7 might become weak though!)

Today we are going to look at an opening trick where black makes a not-so-good move and white takes advantage.  See if you can figure out how to attack f7!

Ne7 is no good.  The happy square for the knight is f6 so he can guard 4 new squares, 2 of which are in the center!  Watch what happens.

Black loses at least a pawn.  Fun times for white after only 7 moves!

Try this puzzle.  It's white to move and destroy f7 before black gets to castle.

Here's what happened after the sac on f7.  Watch how Keres follows it up with his other pieces.

How do you know if it's a good time to sacrifice?

1.  You will get something back for your sacrifice (Maybe a much better position, a better piece, or best, a checkmate!).

2.  You have an army to back up your sacrifice. (One piece alone does not make an army!)

3.  You have calculated carefully! (It's a risk; be sure to look at all your opponent's options.)

In the following position, is it a good time to sacrifice?  How do you know?

White has some great choices at this point after Kxf7.  He chose Nd5 attacking the bishop and two pawns (the f pawn prevents white's dark-squared bishop from attacking).  But if you saw Qc4 checking and forking the bishop, too, good job!  White has many more attackers ready to go.  Good sac!

There are a lot of ideas when attacking f7.  Be sure to spend some time thinking before giving up material for an attack.  

Tip of the week: There is usually at least one weakness on the board in any position. Try to identify it, then attack! (Make sure you are castled first!)