If you've taken a look at the information under The Opening then you've noticed that I've listed Minor Piece Dynamics as the number 8 principle to consider during the opening phase of a chess game. For starters I want to clarify what the minor pieces are for those of you who may not know what they are. The minor pieces we are referring to are the knight and bishop respectively. There are many differing views as to the point value of these 2 minor pieces (the standard valuation places a 3 point value on each piece). But trying to calculate the value of these pieces in the start of a game of chess is like trying to decide whether the left wing of a bird is worth more than its right wing. Yes, both are crucial in getting you off of the ground early in the game and you should never underestimate what each piece is capable of.
Now you may wonder why I prefer to use the term "dynamics" instead of a generic word like "movement" instead. Well this brings us back to the first opening principle we discussed on Mobility. The idea behind minor piece dynamics is not simply to move a piece somewhere on the board, but somewhere that allows that piece to be useful the next following move. In other words, dynamics conveys the idea of continuous movement that is productive. Also a player should avoid needlessly hindering the dynamics of another minor piece in the game. For instance, a bishop could block a square that will prevent the knight from moving. Or a knight could occupy a square that could keep a bishop from being able to travel across the board. Of course, sometimes strategy may dictate another piece of yours be purposely blocked, but in the early stages of a game it is wise to let both your bishop and knight attack as many squares as possible.
In a future article I will discuss more about each the knight and bishop and how to use their dynamic abilities to the full in your opening game.
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