The pivotal center
I have struggled for a few years to understand what the center is about. That is partly caused by the veil of mystery that surrounds it. I think I finally got the point what the fuss is all about.
Stripped from its whiff of magic, the center is about the pivotal points in the lines of attack (LoAs). To give your pieces the greatest statistical potential, they need squares where they can hop from one point of the board to another. To formulate it more precise: where your attackers can attack their target.
That makes all the ideas of conquering the center, or the rules like put your pieces in the center, or put your pawns there obsolete. I now have a method to judge the value of a move. Not what is its effect on the center, but what is its effect on the pivotal points of your LoAs.
I just realized that I read about the center for the first time about 45 years ago in the books of GM Euwe. So the discovery that I finally have an idea what he was talking about comes as a big relief.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it so important? The importance stems from the fact that I can now use the same language for the center and the kingside assault. It is all a description of the LoA landscape. And since the center can be described as an element of the LoA landscape, I can now value it. I can re-enter the details to the rules. Sometimes e5 is way more important than d5. Now I can value that due to its effect on the lines of attack that pivot through those squares. I can now value a pawn move in the center by its effect on the pivotal squares.
When positional play exists of 15-30 blunt rules without details, you cannot make choices. Because you are just following rules without underlying understanding.