Using the Center to Attack the King

Hello chesskids! Today we will be learning how a strong center can be used to set up an attack on the opponent's king. Occasionally, you are fortunate enough to have a dominant center. There are many things you can do with this monster, but it is often difficult to see which steps are necessary to start a kingside attack while maintaining central dominance. When you want to start a kingside attack, it is important to focus on:

1. Preventing the opponent from counterattacking,

2. Transfering your pieces to the kingside, and

3. Looking out for tactics.

When you have a massive central advantage, your number one priority is not to let it slip away. This means postponing your attack to make a few defensive moves to shore up your center. The next thing to do is everyone's favorite: move your pieces towards the opponent's king! While doing this it is important to be sure you are not giving the opponent counterplay. Finally, be on the lookout for tactics, but welcome them. Because of your solid positional advantage, most attempts of the opponent to break out will fail. The following game illustrates these ideas:

 

That was certainly a fun game to play! Notice how carefully the attack was set up. I started with the move Rd1 with the sole purpose to prevent c5. After Ne4 I played Bf4, which does little for the attack but protect the e5 pawn. My opponent's attempt to dislodge this piece with g5 failed spectacularly because of the strength of my e-pawn.

Often, positional strengths will make tactics work. After winning back my knight on f6, I transfered my rook to f3, adding a new piece to my attack. I then proceeded to move my queen to c3, bringing three pieces into the attack. My opponent again tried to solve his problems with tactics, but once again this failed because of the inherent weaknesses in his position.

Finally, I brought my last piece, my a1- rook, into the attack, and this was fatal. It is important to learn from the setup in this game. Overprotecting my e5-pawn was absolutely critical. Had my opponent been able to play c5, my attack would have never happened. It is aIso important to remember to bring all of your pieces into the attack -- I needed to use two rook lifts in this game. Combining these ideas, you can also carry out a brilliant attack like this one.

Good Luck!

David Adelberg