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Whitcomb Chess Castle |
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The Problem with Rook Openings |
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In the above position, it seems that white wants to bring out a rook early. But the opening is not the time to push forward a rook; it’s the time to develop knights and bishops. Why? It relates more to the endgame than to the opening: Late in the game, when there are far fewer pieces on the board, a rook is normally far more powerful than a bishop or a knight. The rook has more value.
It’s white’s turn to move in the above position. What can be done to develop that rook? White cannot move it forward two spaces or it would be captured by the less valuable bishop (the bishop next to the black queen). Pushing the rook forward one space does nothing, for its own pawns hinder its future movement.
Learn from the masters. They never develop a rook in the first few moves of a game. |