The 6 Elements of Chess Pt 6

The 6 Elements of Chess Pt6

The Fleeting Advantage of Time

 by NM Steve Colding

     Below are the links to previous articles in this series.

1.  The 6 Elements of Chess
2.  The 6 Elements of Chess Part 2
3.  The 6 Elements of Chess Part 3
4.  The 6 Elements of Chess Part 4
5.  The 6 Elements of Chess Part 5

    "Thou shalt not shilly-shally" Aron Nimzovitch

     The philosophers throughout the ages have discussed and postulated what exactly is time but we chess-players are much luckier than that and have a ready explanation. Time is the amount of pieces you have in play. In other words, if we have out one more piece than our opponent we are ahead in time.

     Time is most important in the opening. Beginners are told to develop their pieces, don't move a piece more than once, and don't block a piece with another, these are all maxims for not falling behind in time.

     The object of the opening is to make it to the middle-game, after we have done that time ceases to be of immense importance and so Nimzovitch's quote" Thou shalt not shilly-shally" is doubly important when dealing with an advantage in time. The reason being is that the opponent can always catch up in time if we give him the opportunity.

      When we are ahead in time we want to open up the position.  In an open positon our pieces will have more scope and be more powerful. Therefore when we have more piece in play they will have a greater chance to effect some change which will lead to an advantage.

     Rule: When ahead in time we want the position opened up, when behind in time we wan the position closed so that we may catch up in time. 

     There are usually several reason for falling behind in time the three most prominent being:

1. Grabbing pawns
2. Moving a piece more than once
3. Blocking our pieces

     Time like youth  is fast and fleeting. To get the most out of an advantage in time heed the words of a world champion " When one has the advantage it is not only your right but your duty to attack lest you lose your advantage." Wilhelm Stenitz First Official World Champion

    Next Article: Exploiting an Advantage in Time