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deeper_insight 20-Oct-16, 09:16	Deleted by deeper_insight on 20-Oct-16, 09:43.
deeper_insight 20-Oct-16, 09:43	The lonely Rook.Lets help it with a bit of basic and advanced theory.... Just wanted to add some basic theory today about your Rook(s).I'm including some of my own thoughts combined with a few GM seminar comments I remembered over the years at the Marshall Chess Club. Many players from approx.1200-1700 have some idea of proper opening development,including center pawn placements,Knights to their 3rd rank,castling and perhaps a fianchetto with a Bishop,ect. But I have observed countless times many lesser rated players either avoiding to move or optimally place their Rook(s)in the stronger positions on the board.How many games have you lost with your Rooks remaining in the corners or not moved at all from that castled position?Forget to move them or just think that you will start to move them later in the game when the board is more open...like the endgame?Most of the time,this is NOT a strong strategy!And if you did move them,did you have enough "theory" knowledge to know how to make the most optimal use of a defense or offense with one or both of your Rooks and where to place them? Knowing what to do involves some basic theory.Lets take a look: 1.A rook is happy when it has lots of rank and file,and can use pressure to bear down on the open file.The Rook then,statistically becomes more of a "pawn eater" when you keep it "happy". 2.The Rook in theory increases its strength positionally and in point value the more distant it is away from the piece it wants to capture or place pressure on.This is due to the fact that when it decides to attack,there is usually less of a chance that it can be counterattacked.Usually,your Rook will have its "optimal strength",therefore,when there are a minimum of 3 squares between the Rook and which piece it intends to attack.This "checking distance"is a kind of safety zone in theory to partially minimize counterattacks as well as counterattacks from the enemy King.If,for example,the Rook does not have this checking distance,the enemy King may have the capability to approach the Rook and end a series of checks to stop the offensive. 3. Optimal Rook value is key when protecting passed pawns by mid or endgame on open files.But many players fail to reposition their Rook(s)to also protect their central pawns on squares e4,e5 and d4,d5 in the MIDGAME.I have observed many times the players first rank is totally or almost totally open and the player has forgotton or stagnated their Rooks,even after castling.If one uses quality computer program to intertwine their chess study,many times you will observe the program moving the Rook(s) to square e1 or d1 which tends to reinforce central control pressure.The computer program also understands that "delay moves"have value.In other words,its NOT always necessary to have a definitive plan for every single move as others will tell you!The idea of "necessity"having a plan for every move originates many times from players as high as 2200,but usally NOT the senior masters or GM's!In cases where the position is equal or dead equal on both sides,a delay move(many times the Rook on your first rank)with no definitive offensive,defensive or a pure development move has hidden value.Why?The answer lies in the fact that with equality on both sides OR the game closed or semi closed,it becomes necessary to sometimes play a "waiting game"(especially in the midgame)...to have your opponent make the first potentially weak move,weaker exchange,overextension and more.By moving,for example,your Rook to square a1 to b1 or square f1 to e1 or d1 you are using a stall technique and a waiting game.Your Rooks staying active on an open first rank have value with the flexibility of being able to defend whatever file it desires,while playing a stall game simply "waiting"for your opponent to overextend,move a weaker flank pawn or other negative square control while you move your Rook(s) 2 or 3 times with no apparent definitive plan. 4.Centralized Rooks on the e1 and d1 squares(or e8 and d8 squares as black)in midgame tend to have higher point value in midgame by placing continued central pressure on the center of the board,even if the center is NOT completely locked in with pieces.The positions are usually semiopen,but tend to have statistic value.I have personally noticed this when playing against Stockfish and other test programs. 5.Pushing or exchanging pawns to create open lines is usually the main way of getting the rooks into action. Rooks can dominate open ranks and files if they can control those files unopposed. Rooks play an important role in supporting the movement of your other pieces. Rooks are very effective in supporting the advance of your pawns. In the endgame rooks are effective in cutting-off the opponent’s king from the action. 6.As with bishops,Rooks can get stuck behind locked pawn-structures in which case they can lose a lot of their potential value: Here is an example of what we call a "Rook Fianchetto",where the Rook will lose much of its potential value: A Rook fianchetto like this in an open game may not have a significant Rook point devaluation but in a closed game or a game in the diagram above,can you see why blacks Rook is devalued?Blacks Rook has only 2 squares to use,it is temporarily hemmed in.Now look at whites Rooks.Whites rook on a1 has many more avenues of movement.And on one simple Bishop move of white and/or soon castled position,whites other Rook can have freedom of movement onto several more open squares on the first rank with tempo compared to blacks tempo and faster release time compared to blacks a8 Rook. If white places its Rook(s) on d1,e1 after the game opens up,the centralized double Rooks can create a powerful centralized pressure on the game. So the basic conclusion is that a "fianchetto Rook"decreases its strength(not always but statistically may devalue its initial 5 point value to approx 4.5-4.7)! If you find yourself as black in a Rook fianchetto position(similar to the diagram above)... after an exchange or other move you made,try to free it as soon as possible!A Rook with only having the freedom of 2 squares to move is a disadvantage to say the least!On the senior master level one tip I can give you is that you may "delay"unlocking that black Rook(like above) a few moves IF there is no Bishop that can attack that g7 or b7 square because it is not the appropriate dark or light squared Bishop.So,in the above diagram,you can stall a bit to develop your other pieces before freeing that Rook,but stall much LESS in freeing that Rook if that Rook can be potentially attacked by the same square color Bishop of your enemy.If not,one of the flank pawns can be in danger of capture if your Rook does not return to your first rank or other freer rank/file. So keep your Rooks developed and active as soon as you can!I have seen many games lost due to those players not making any use(or very little)of their Rooks still froze on their original starting squares or castled squares,even after move 40!Usually,Rook inactivity spells a game disadvantage.For the superior endgame usually stems from better midgame play,including Freeing up both of your Rooks with as many open squares as possible!And understanding that all pieces have point valux flux that can be lower than its original opening value is key!No,a Rook does not always have a value of 5 points,nor does a pawn always have a value of 1 point!Theoretically,edge pawns can be devalued to .8 instead of 1 point(see my post on pawn material imbalances) gameknot.com One of the reasons I stress combining your post game studies(or any random game setup) with a good chess program is to take a deep look at how the program behaves with Rooks and other pieces and what value the program places on the present position it makes or how that position changes(+ or - or =)with the simple move of that Rook you or the software made.You could,for example,move your Rook on any of the first rank squares(if totally open) for your next move and closely observe what the program assimilates in point value for each Rook move on a specific square.It may,for example,place a higher value on square e1 and a lesser value on square b1.You can simply go back and do the Rook move over and over until you found the "strongest"or best move for that Rooks placement!Then that is not enough!You must then advance the game and see WHY is became the strongest(or weakest)move 20 moves later!By assimilating this positional knowledge and making a snapshot of the position in your mind,you can start thinking like one of those 3000+rated software programs!(At least for a Rook move)! More on this in the future,no additioanal time right now for me.But to start off the Rook training you have a few things to wet your appetite! TA
penguin_ 20-Oct-16, 12:51	Very Helpful Post I found this post on using one's Rook very helpful. Thanks, Penguin
deeper_insight 20-Oct-16, 13:21	Just some added Rook facts.... 1.Rooks, like Bishops, plays better if there are some open files. 2.Try to take control of open files with your rooks. Two rooks in same open file provide a lot of opportunities for attack. 3.Rook positioned in the 7th or 8th row becomes a headache for the opponent. Two rooks on that row can often provide mating attack or gain of material. 4.Two rooks with lots of maneuvering space can often stand up to the opponent’s queen, particularly when minor powers and pawns are absent in the end game. You will find many games in chess archives where one player has given up the queen in exchange for two rooks. 5.In endings with where you have King, Rook and Pawn against King and Rook, your rook should be behind the pawn and your king should be next to the pawn to get a win. But more in complex theory in the next post...
baddeeds 20-Oct-16, 13:40	I like this to. That reminds me of where my decisive mistake happened against Jack Stockel in one of the more recent games. And, his analysis was spot on, this time around, as Ken verified. So, here is another lesson which I find important, as well. I was able to double up my Rooks I believe it was on the e file. Being a pawn up that late in the game, it at worst should've been a draw, as opposed to a win. But, the commentators in that annotation rightly pointed out that I could've won. However, I made a terrible mistake by undoubling one of the Rooks, and placing it near a fianchettoed square. It wasn't quite fianchettoed but I believe that my move was something like Ra3?? in which one of his passed pawns became a killer. The lesson with the Rooks was not just being in the center, but with it, to keep those rooks doubled because they play an important role. I need to log off soon, but when I come back, I'll show the position, in which, that decisive mistake occurred.
deeper_insight 20-Oct-16, 14:13	A senior masters secret view about some positions... I will eventually illustrate what I am about to write with a diagram or two.But I have no time right now,so I just want to add something for you to consider and ponder. You seen me write about delay and stall moves and the reason(s)for them.I mentioned above that sometimes simply moving a Rook along a wide open rank once or several times(like the first rank)has value because,even without a "plan"at that very moment,the move may do little for your position,but may not harm it either.By strategically playing a waiting game,this can psychologically entice your opponent to overextend his position,make a weak pawn move or he may even try to mirror your move which could be detrimental to HIS position,but not yours.Some players get a bit "antsy"if you seem to be making foolish repetitive moves and go into an "overoffensive mode" to make or break the position without giving the game much deeper thought! So what are the words describing this repetitive Rook movement with no "observable"plan? Answer:Loss of tempo.And it is not only for the rook but any major piece on the board. Too many players have been taught in cookie cutter fashion that: 1.You must always have a good plan for each of your moves for best play. 2.Moving the same piece several times( creating a loss of tempo)is usually bad and should be avoided. Those two statements above do have validity in them BUT do not always apply in every circumstance!On the senior master levels it is simply understood that in some positions(especially closed positions where pawns and other pieces may be in a locked or frozen state)it remains SAFER to delay,stall and even have some loss of tempo until a better plan of attack can be formulated a few moves later on within a few short moves. I want you to picture some of the tight French Openings,Anti-Meran and even some Caro-Kann closed positions.Again,I will have some diagrams in the future,but it is not necessary yet. Picture the fact that if you just move a pawn,that may destroy the symmetry of the defensive position.So,you do not want to do that.Picture the same position that moving a Knight may be a bit weak because it is in a zone where it could be exchanged and the position is still closed...so you do not want to do that! So what is left?Maybe a Q move....no good perhaps,open to attack! So now what?Your Rooks can move about on your first rank and you have already castled. Go for it!Accomplish the delay,stall and loss of tempo move!And wait in the shadows for your opponent to possibly make a weak move that you can exploit.Maybe he will shatter his own pawn wall,creating the opportunity to move around the base pawn to start crumbling his position? So not doing anything except moving a Rook or two back and forth on your first rank in some closed positions(usually midgame,not the opening)and looking weak due to this "loss of tempo"is actually an ILLUSION OF WEAKNESS!!!!! Again,some tight positions allow you to bend those "cookie cutter"rules of popular theory and take moves that "appear"to be redundant,repetitive and wasteful in tempo.But that can actually deceive your opponent! Take a look anytime at my "Reverse Alekhine"game post!In there you will find some very bizarre repetitive Knight moves(many 10 moves or more)of the SAME Knight moving into its ORIGINAL position(on the first rank!)....and I still go on to defeat my opponents! Yes,that is over doing it to prove a point to the lesser rated,but it mirror's the idea to sometimes move your Rook(s) or other major pieces a few times if the positions are tightly locked and closed and you have no definitive plan of attack yet! So,in conclusion,loss of tempo and having no immediate plan and making the same piece move several times one move after the other... can actually yield an advantage in the game! Now,that is NOT what some of your mentors have told you,right? Well,was your mentor above 2500 rated?Trust in what I say,because while my profile is only 2300+now,many of you guys already know of my 2500+rating only a few months ago with a different account.And you just learned a bit of senior master secret! Best, TA
deeper_insight 20-Oct-16, 14:42	I'm going offline now.May not come online again till the weekend,not sure. Again,I enjoy showing others a few exceptions that appear to go against popular theory.I hope that you guys can picture those subtle Rook moves I'm describing above! Many tested positions attest to what I am saying,if you plug in a number of those tight closed positions into a SUPERIOR chess program like Komodo or Stockfish!In many cases you can and will observe the computer programs ROOK move along the first rank several times in what"appears"to look like it is confused!But it really is not confused at all!It is simply playing a waiting game with what appears to be or IS a loss of tempo with repetitive Rook moves!The loss of tempo can solidify if the computers opponent(me or another chess program playing the program)...if and when I make some fantastic breakthrough move that defines and CONFIRMS the computers loss of tempo.But many times,this will NOT happen!Thus,the loss of tempo by Komodo(example)has no real negative value!!It is kind of a form of "computer program psychology"being used against you!(Especially if the contempt value of the program is set more to defensive mode than offensive mode)!But that is a different thread/post! Hope this did not confuse anyone!But I think you guys have the idea now! TA
falcon67 21-Oct-16, 06:39	Very good thread .Lots of helpful info.

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