Black has a preponderance on the Queen’s side, while White has more mobility for his pieces on the King’s side.  Considering that Black cannot easily throw his men over to the King’s wing, White can risk to loosen his Pawns on this wing without fearing that Black will be able to obtain a foothold on the weak points which are necessarily created by the advance of the Pawns in White’s camp.

White will start the attack with (1) P-g4 and (2) Kt-g3.  Then he threatens to occupy the dominating square f5 with his Knight, and Black has hardly any other move than P-g6; for if he permits Kt-f5 with the view to exchanging the Knight with his Bishop, he opens the g-file for White’s Rooks.  P-g6 on the other hand enables White to open the h-file by advancing the h-Pawn after the necessary preparations such as K-g2, R-h1, P-g5, etc.

In the vast majority of games files for the Rooks are not opened on the side but in the center of the board, as was explained in the discussion of the openings.  The many advantages arising from the control of a center-file by the Rooks will be more fully analyzed in the illustrative games.  Generally speaking it is easier to get the two Rooks into cooperation in the center than on the side of the board.  This cooperation—­usually effected by doubling in one file—­is naturally very important and it is the main reason why it is desirable to castle as early as possible.  Between the Rooks of a player who is prevented from castling there are, so to speak, no natural lines of communication and it takes so long to create artificial ones that in most cases the opponent can, in the meantime, force a victory through the combined efforts of his Rooks.  Diagram 53 gives an example.

+---------------------------------------+
8 |    | #Q |    |    | #K | #B |    | #R |
|---------------------------------------|
7 |    | #P |    | #B |    | #P | #P | #P |
|---------------------------------------|
6 | #P |    | #R |    | #P |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
5 |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
4 |    |    |    |    | ^P |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
3 |    | ^Q |    |    | ^B | ^Kt|    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
2 | ^P | ^P |    |    |    | ^P | ^P | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | ^R |    |    |    |    | ^R | ^K |    |
+---------------------------------------+
a    b    c    d    e    f    g    h

Diagram 53.

It is White’s move, and he will naturally think of a Rook’s move as all the other pieces are already developed.  The best move is probably (1) Rf1-d1.  Ra1-d1 comes also into consideration but this Rook might be needed later on the c-file while the King’s Rook certainly will have no chance to be developed in any but the d-file as long as the White e- and f-Pawns are still on the board.  Black, in the game from which the above position is taken, replied B-c5, and White continued with (2) Q-c3, attacking the Bishop c5 and the Pawn g7 at the same time.