The damage we wish to inflict on our opponent we must, of course, try to avoid ourselves.  Thus we will not easily give up a centre pawn unless we can obtain some other advantage in doing so.  This advantage may be, that in exchanging the centre pawn we open up lines of attack for our pieces, or that we are able to place one of our pieces in a commanding position in the centre of the board.

The following example may serve as an illustration.  Supposing White plays after

          1.  P-Q4 P-Q4
          2.  P-QB4

His aim is to tempt Black’s centre pawn away and to make his QB4 and K4 accessible for his own forces.  Black might be justified in taking the pawn, if he really could hold the pawn thus gained.  We shall show later on that this is not so, and that White can win it back easily and advantageously.  Therefore Black is more likely to play 2.  P-K3.  Not 2. ...  Kt-KB3; for after 3.  PxP, KtxP; 4.  P-K4 would open White’s game and drive the Knight away at once, gaining a move.  Supposing, however, Black plays 2. ...  B-B4; should White now think mechanically, “I will take his centre pawn and consequently have the better game,” his deduction would be wrong.  For after exchanging his Bishop for the Knight, which otherwise would drive his Queen away, Black brings the latter into a dominating square in the centre.

---------------------------------------
8 | #R | #Kt|    | #Q | #K | #B | #Kt| #R |
|---------------------------------------|
7 | #P | #P | #P |    | #P | #P | #P | #P |
|---------------------------------------|
6 |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
5 |    |    |    | #P |    | #B |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
4 |    |    | ^P | ^P |    |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
3 |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
2 | ^P | ^P |    |    | ^P | ^P | ^P | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | ^R | ^Kt| ^B | ^Q | ^K | ^B | ^Kt| ^R |
---------------------------------------
A    B    C    D    E    F    G    H

Diag. 17.

3.  PxP          BxKt
4.  RxB          QxP

Black’s Queen cannot easily be driven away from her commanding position, particularly as White must lose a move to save his QRP.  Meanwhile Black gains time for concentrating his forces for an attack which wins the Queen’s Pawn.

5.  P-QKt3           Kt-QB3
6.  P-K3             Castles QR
7.  Kt-B3            P-K4

and wins the QP, or

5.  P-QR3            Kt-QB3
6.  P-K3             Castles QR

and P-K4 is again a threat hard for white to meet.

This position shows, that to bring one’s opponent’s centre pawn away and to keep one’s own, does not under all circumstances mean the command of the centre, but that the opening up of files and diagonals for one’s pieces towards the centre is an important moment in the fight for positional advantage.