Controlling the Open File

Recommended elo: 1400-2000

Strong players know that it is important to control the open files with rooks, and often both players will do so. However, there are some occasions where one player does not fight for the open file; in that case, you must act fast to seize an advantage. In this lesson, we will go over examples of how to seize the open file, maintain control, and eventually exploit it to our advantage.

Seizing the File

Often, when you want to control a file you need to pre-emptively stop the rooks from fighting for the file. Usually, this can be accomplished by controlling the rook’s opposing square (in the first game it was d1 as white’s rooks needed to stop black’s doubled rooks via Rd1). Once you control the opposing square, you can double your rooks and infiltrate the position. I have annotated 3 games that showcase the dominant theme of controlling an open file. Additionally, I found a game annotated by the famous Aron Nimzowitsch and another 8 unannotated game that follow a similar theme. I hope these games will help you fully understand the concept of controlling an open file and exploiting that advantage to the fullest extent.

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4 - Annotated by Nimzowitsch

8 Additional Games

(I added the 4 annotated games to make it easier to refer back to this lesson)