Attacking With H File Antics

Anyone can improve their attacking play by noticing recurring patterns... I should know, direct attack on the king is one of my weakest areas. By noticing ideas that happen over and over I've improved though, and one general pattern I've noticed happening time and again is the importance of the H file.

So lets look at some useful attacking patterns that come up frequently in all of our games. I'll give four examples. Queen + pawn, Q+R, Q+B and finally Q+N.

The first one is perhaps the trickiest, but makes a good puzzle. Here's a hint, not only will white use the h file, but often a pawn on g6 is a great attacking aid.

White to play and win.

One reason the h file is so powerful in attacks is the king's would be defenders become roadblocks, hindering the king's ability to run away.

Lets look at a classic queen and rook combo.

The ensuing attack may seem complicated, with many variations to calculate, but gaining the h file is not something justified by calculation. It's so powerful that once black dominates it, he can rest assured that Caissa is with him.

Now a common Queen and bishop pattern. Even though it's not a rook, notice how black lines up his queen and bishop on the h file. This is another type of pattern that will show up again and again.

Ok, last one. Queen and knight. Again the attackers line up on the H file.

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In closing, there are many different types of attacks in chess. Some involve multiple patterns or difficult and precise calculation. Sometimes the outcome is unclear to both players until the very end, but the more patterns you know, the more you'll be able to spot opportunities worth calculating in your own games. I hope this collection of common patterns helps you in your future king hunts!