After castling, is it a good idea to create an escape square for your King by moving a pawn in front of him as soon as possible?  Or is it better to let the situation dictate when to create the escape square?

 Sometimes I find myself wishing I had created an escape earlier in the game because it wastes a tempi, other times I wish I hadn't created the escape because it creates a weakness that can be exploited.  Is there a general rule of thumb?

dmason2000 wrote:

After castling, is it a good idea to create an escape square for your King by moving a pawn in front of him as soon as possible?

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 Generally, no!

>>Is there a general rule of thumb?

The general rule of thumb is: "The king is safest in a castled position, behind a row of 3 unmoved pawns." Like so:

 

 

 

 

 

 

>> Or is it better to let the situation dictate when to create the escape square?

Yes it's better to do that.

This article is closely related to the subject we're discussing. I recommend that you take a look: http://www.chesscafe.com/text/heisman48.pdf 

 Also keep in mind that rules of thumb are just guidelines. They're true maybe 75-85% of the time, but there are exceptions. 

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

Another important consideration when castling is timing.  I'm a strong advocate for rapid castling but not at the expense of piece developement.  However, if you are playing against a much stronger opponent, a quick castle, IMO, is never a bad move.

Your mileage may vary.