Dia 22 Enroques Contrarios PDF

4/29/2015 Day 22: Opposite Side Castling — 21 Days to Supercharge Your Chess by TheChessWorld.
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Positional Package Day 22: Opposite Side Castling
Day 22: Opposite Side Castling
7% Positional Training Completed
Here is your homework that you should do after reading the chapter!
In today’s lesson we will discuss one very important and very common middle-game theme – an opposite side
castling. Many chess players are afraid to castle long, especially if it involves castling opposite sides with their
opponent. By avoiding this confrontation they miss a big opportunity to win a game which they would otherwise
draw or even lose. We will go over the main ideas in opposite side castling middle games. We will explore the
common positions in which the opposite side castling gives you an edge and when it may cost you a game.
The Plan:
The main idea of the opposite side castling is to create an asymmetrical position and to use your pawns to
assault the opponent’s king pawn structure. That is typically accomplished by sacrificing and/or exchanging
pawns to open up the position and creating a strong attack on the king. This is called the ‘pawns attack’.
http://www.thechessworld.com/supercharge/positionalpackage/day22oppositesidecastling/ 1/16
4/29/2015 Day 22: Opposite Side Castling — 21 Days to Supercharge Your Chess by TheChessWorld.com
The side that starts the attack first often wins the game because of the gained initiative and built up
momentum. You should push your pawns forward, towards the opponent’s king, to destroy the pawn
structure, exposing the king.
This type of attack works best when you have some sort of space advantage, as well as pieces support. That
means after the opponent’s pawn structure is destroyed you can immediately continue the attack with your
pieces, delivering a checkmate or winning a decisive amount of material.
Remember, it is much harder to defend at chess than to attack, so begin rolling your pawns first.
Take a look at the opposite side castling position below. White has a significant development
advantage. He has better pieces, more space, and a far more protected king. But, most importantly, white has
few extra tempos that can be used to launch an attack.
As we already know the main plan in this position is to roll the pawns towards the opponent’s castle. White
has a perfect position for an attack. Notice how the rooks are placed behind the pawns supporting
the advance, while both bishops and the queen are all aiming towards the king’s side. Next step would be to
play h4, g4 and then either a quick g5 or a safer f4. Black is in serious trouble.
White to move
Let’s take a look at when it makes sense to castle opposite sides and when it doesn't.
You should castle in the opposite side when at least one of the following factors is true:
1. When you are up in development and your opponent has already castled, you should consider castling
in the opposite side. That way you will have a clear game plan and will also be able to capitalize on your
development advantage.
2. When you have a damaged pawn structure (doubled paws, missing pawns, far advanced pawns, etc.) on
one of the sides you should consider castling on the other side.
3. When opponent’s pieces are especially active on one side of the board, it is usually best to castle on the
opposite side.
4. If you want to complicate the game you may consider this option. That maybe true if you must play for a
win due to a tournament situation, when the draw is not enough. Also that maybe done when you're
playing against a stronger opponent, who is much better in simple/technical positions. That maybe your
best bet.
You should not castle in the opposite sides when at least one of the following factors in true:
1. When you are behind in development and you need extra time to develop your pieces, it is usually not a
good idea to give your opponent a straight forward way of launching an attack.
2. When the opponent’s pawns are advanced towards the side you’re about to castle, it is not a good idea
to castle there (especially if the opponent’s king is castled on the opposite side). It will just give him a
positional edge in the attack.
3. When there are open/semi-open files in-front of the side you’re about to castle, you should probably
reconsider your decision to castle there (especially if your opponent has castled on the other side). That
will give him more attacking possibilities, such as rook lifts, various sacrifices, doubling of pieces on the
file, etc.
4. If you playing against a weaker opponent you may want to avoid castling opposite sides, in order to
avoid sharp game and keep everything under control.
Note: These are general rules, not laws, meaning that there are always exceptions to them. When you’re
making a decision what side to castle you should always take your time and evaluate all “pros” and “cons”
and base your decision upon your own analysis. This is a very important decision. It pretty much dictates
which way the game will continue. Take your time and think twice.
Let’s take a look at one famous example of opposite castling confrontation:
Let's look at the following position that arise in

the game Larsen ‐ Gligorich and quickly evaluate
what's going on. Who stands better here? Due to
the opposite side castling, both white and black
can start rolling the pawns towards the
opponent's king. That means white should mainly
focus on the queen's side, while black should
concentrate his attention on the king's side. We
can see that white is better prepared for an
attack because he has a straightforward plan with
a c5 break. We can also notice that black cannot
prevent that break from happening. Black can try
to play g4, but if white replies f4, there is not
much that black can do to create an attack.
1. c5 ! White starts his attack first by opening up
the queen's side. exd4 Black follows one of the
rules of positional chess, stating that if you are
Tactics Lab: Homework 22

Instructions:
Here is your practical (tactical) exercises. Solving these problems is a very important part of the program on your
way to improve your game. Try solving them by looking on the diagram. If that is hard you can setup pieces on the
board and attempt again. Solutions are given at the end. Check them only after your complete/attempt all problems.
#122. Black to move and win
#123. White to move and win
#124. White to move and win
Hide Solution
Aaron vs. Gligoric
1... h4 2. g2
2. xh4 ? xg1+ 3. d1 xd1#
2... xg2 3. xg2 h1+ 4. d1 xd1+

5. c2
Endgame Lab: Position 22
Instructions:
Here is your practical (tactical) exercises. Solving these problems is a very important part of the program on your
way to improve your game. Try solving them by looking on the diagram. If that is hard you can setup pieces on the
board and attempt again. Solutions are given at the end. Check them only after your complete/attempt all problems.
White to move and draw
Hide Solution
The important idea to remember is that

opposition is something that can save you a game
even when you're a couple of tempos behind.
1. f2 !
Pushing the pawn right away is no good.

1. c5 ? Now black obtains opposition and
wins the game. e2 2. g1 White has to
move. d3 3. f2 c4 4. e3
xc5 Black can now promote the
pawn.
1... d2 It seems like white gave up the

opposition, but keep in mind that he has an extra
move with a pawn. 2. c5 d3 This is the
white's primary idea to draw this endgame.
3. e1 c4 4. d2 xc5 5. c3 =
Opposition = Draw.
Endgame Trainer
Instructions:
Practice the following endgame position against the computer until you are confident that you can play it
correctly in actual game. Take your time and go through the exercise more than once if needed to fully understand
the material. If you have any difficulties please refer to the lesson above.
Hide Practice Position: Day 22
White to move and draw:
Great Job! That's it for today. You can move to the next lesson!
Next Lesson
Copyright 2015 21- Days to Supercharge Your Chess by TheChessWorld com . - All Rights Reserved

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4/29/2015 Day 22: Opposite Side Castling — 21 Days to Supercharge Your Chess by TheChessWorld.

Positional Package Day 22: Opposite Side Castling

Let’s take a look at one famous example of opposite castling confrontation:

Let's look at the following position that arise in

Tactics Lab: Homework 22

#122. Black to move and win

#123. White to move and win

#124. White to move and win

#125. Black to move and win

#126. Black to move and win

#127. Black to move and win

2. xh4 ? xg1+ 3. d1 xd1#

2... xg2 3. xg2 h1+ 4. d1 xd1+

White to move and draw

The important idea to remember is that

Pushing the pawn right away is no good.

1... d2 It seems like white gave up the

Hide Practice Position: Day 22

White to move and draw:

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