EIGHT SQUARE™ - King’s Fortress

Castling is a special move that requires some special conditions. Neither the
king nor the rook may have moved from their original positions, and there must be
no pieces between the king and rook. Also, the king must not be in check. Castling
allows the king to move two spaces, instead of just one, to the side and the rook
closest to the new position to move next to the king on the opposite side. This is
usually done with one hand moving the king first, followed by the rook. By
moving the king first, this move is not confused with a legal move by the rook.

Black does a kingside castle on fourth move

Castling is both strategic and a surprise. Castling is strategic because

castling is a efficiently way to get one’s king to safety. Also, castling during the
open can connect the rooks which can be a powerful defensive position in itself. It
also can be a surprise because the king can perform either a kingside castle (chess
notation 0-0) or queenside castle (chess notation 0-0-0). The kingside castling can
take place as early as the forth move! This early kingside castling to get the king
to safety defends against quick checkmates and absolute pins while also creating a
fortress that safeguards the king. Though the queenside castling usually occurs
during the middle game, it also creates a shield for the king and puts the rook in a
position to join the battle. It is as though a castle’s drawbridge is lowered and the
king’s personal guards join the battle. Because it can apply pressure on the
opponent’s pieces immediately, this can make the queenside castling a more
offensive move than the kingside. Castling can be deferred until an imminent
threat is detected and the castling move can be used to dash the king away and

©2008 James Jones. All rights reserved.

 EIGHT SQUARE™ - King’s Fortress
thwart the threat. The danger with this is that the threat must be detected in time,
and the king’s new position must be more secure than it’s previous one. Further,
after a castling move, some squares that had been protected may no longer be,
creating an opportunity for material capture.

Castling provides superior protection to the king. Yet, it also creates

weaknesses. Namely, a direct attack on the phalanx of pawns protecting the King
can create check opportunities. Even if material is lost in exposing the King.

It’s black’s move. Can black get white in check?

Many chess tactics attempt to engage the opponent’s king early and thereby
prevent the king from castling to safety. If successful, these tactics force an
opponent to use more material to protect the king, open the king to more lines-of-
attack, or disrupt their opponent’s plans. In particular, if the king can be chased
towards the center of the board, there can be ample chances to force a checkmate
or skewer major pieces.

©2008 James Jones. All rights reserved.