The Dos and Don'ts of Castling

Castling is known by everyone who knows how to play chess. It gets your king into a safe spot while bringing your rook into an active spot. Some players do not use castling properly, though, and some castle at the wrong times. So here are the dos and don'ts of castling.

Don't castle kingside when you have no "g" or "h" pawn, and don't castle queenside when you have no "a" or "b" pawn. 

If neither you nor your opponent have a pawn on the "e" file, castle kingside! A rook controlling the "e" file in the beginning of the game is very powerful!

 If you are castling queenside, I'd suggest doing Kb1 (white) or Kb8 (black) to protect the weak "a" pawn. 

If you have castled and your opponent's queen/rook is pinning a pawn to your king, STOP IT IMMEDIATELY. Ignoring it, even for a single move, could cost you the game.

If you are castling kingside, do not allow your opponent to put his black knight on e2 or his white knight on e7. This restricts your king to one square is is usually the cause of many grandmasters' losses.