Why I Move My F-pawn Early

What are some of the first pieces of advice your hear when you start chess? Is "Don't move your f-pawn early" one of them? For me, it sure was.

While this may be wrong, there is certainly some truth to it. 

Why would it be a mistake to take the hanging pawn on e5 here? The answer? Qh5+! We are either going to win the rook, or get a checkmate.

Another example is the Balogh Defense. While it may have some surprise value, it is completely losing if your opponent knows what they are doing.

Finally, there is the famous trap of the Falkbeer Countergambit.

So, why is it any good to move your f-pawn early? The answer is excellent attacking opportunities.

Firstly, it provides an opening for your rook, if you castle kingside. This is a common idea in the Stonewall. I have an amazing game where I used this idea for a beautiful victory.

The rook being able to get into the attacking action really changed the course of the game. 

Having an f-pawn already being advanced can also help if you are trying to play in a sort of King's Indian Attack Style. Since our f-pawn would already be advanced, it would be a much easier task to launch the attack. I have used this idea to win many games in the Leningrad Dutch opening.

Summary

• You can move the f-pawn, but watch out for tactics on the king.
• When the f-pawn is already advanced, it can be easier to launch a kingside pawn storm.
• Another idea is to rook-lift into attacking the king, moving the rook to the h or g-file.