If you've taken a look at the information under The Opening then you've noticed that I've listed Control Center as the number 3 principle to consider during the opening phase of a chess game. Controlling the center of the chessboard is comparable to a military force using higher ground to attack an army on lower ground. What does higher ground have that lower ground lacks? A decisive advantage! A military force's artillery can shoot further when they are on higher ground. Also it's much easier to attack while travelling downhill than uphill. Similarly if you control the center of the board in chess, your piece's range of attack improves dramatically. Moreover by controlling the center you can make gaining any ground against you seem like an uphill battle for your opponent.
However, controlling the center is not always an easy thing to do. The reason being is that your opponent is fighting for control of the center just as badly as you are! So not only do you have to control the center for the home team, but must also be prepared to give up parts of the center for the enemy.
It can be challenging I know, but with a little practice you can improve this aspect of your game. In the next part of this series I will go over some basic examples of how to take control of the center.
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