Bring your rook to the attack
Hi everyone! Today I would like to show you a common idea that you can apply in your next games, it’s important to mention that this is not a secret to anyone and you most had seen this strategy most probably before, however, it does not mean you must to not practice it anymore, and that is why I decided to write this post.
The plan is pretty simple; anytime you want to create an offensive against your opponent, bring your rook to the attack, how? Let me explain it better with an example:
The easy way White seemed to win is enviable, but the truth is that he was able to do it because he knew the right idea to apply in the position.
This plan does not always work, but in the cases where it’s possible to use it, the difference is enormous, it changes radically the evaluation of a position. You can go from a position without any good idea to one with a strong attack. But how do we know when to use it? Is it possible to play it anytime I can? I will try to answer these questions in the next post ;)
H,i I am Gabriel Salazar, a fide chess master, and coach. I tend to publish posts every Monday and Thursday about chess training and tips that you can apply in your own games, for more information you can also check https://tres-reyes.com/en/coaches/fm-gabriel-salazar
The rook is an important piece in the chess game and we all already know how to use it. It can be moved horizontally and vertically and because of his high value, the stage of the game where it has more participation is in the endgame. Nevertheless, thanks to its mobility, there are some interesting and astonishing ideas for the rook in the middlegame (even in the opening).
One of those plans can be to transfer the rook to the attack. Imagine a situation where you decide to create a strong pressure to your opponent in the king side, you already have some pieces in that sector of the board like the knight, queen and probably one or two bishops, but you do not find a way to convert this pressure in a winning position yet, its right here where the plan of bringing your rook to the attack (in case that you can do it) appears like a key to open the door.
Now it is important to notice some important aspects of this idea:
1. To bring the rook to the attack you can do it by the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and whatever rank. The importance here is to move it to a place where it can attack or does something.
2. To bring the rook to the attack you should do it to a place where it can’t be attacked easily. It can sound pretty obvious but it’s important to mention it. The main idea to bring the rook is to attack and not to be attacked, or trapped.
3. To bring the rook to the attack means to bring another piece to the attack. Ok yes, this is even more obvious that the last point, but what I want to express with this is that any time you are moving your rook to the attack, you are increasing the number of attacker pieces, and when this number is more than the number of the defensive pieces, increase the chances of a finishing move to end the game.
We will not be able to use this plan in all our games, but it does not mean that we should not study it. Today I have shown you some games where the idea works, now it’s up to you to keep analyzing the plan and use it in your own games!
I am Gabriel, a chess Fide Master, and coach. You can contact me if you want chess private lessons or train this idea deeper. For more chess content check https://tres-reyes.com/en/
