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What You Need to Know About the Dynamic Center
Through examples, we'll learn how to play in dynamic center positions.

What You Need to Know About the Dynamic Center

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Hey there!

Happy New Year! 🎉

I hope you’ve set your chess New Year resolutions thoughtfully!

Mine? I want to build a solid opening repertoire so I don’t spend too much time navigating the early moves during a classical game. I’ll keep you updated on how that’s going!

But today, I want to discuss something different: the dynamic center.

A dynamic center has not fully settled into a fixed structure yet. This type of position is often tricky because you need to maneuver your pieces while considering all the potential changes the center might undergo. Misplacing your pieces can lead to trouble!

So, what should we do in these situations?

Most of the time, both players will aim to shape the center to their advantage. That’s why the center might eventually become fixed, dissolve completely (opening the board), or remain flexible for longer.

There’s a classic rule in chess that we should always remember: to attack on the flanks, you first need to control or stabilize the center. If you don’t, you’re likely to face a strong counterattack through the middle.

A dynamic center, while somewhat stable, is full of opportunities for counterplay. Often, players begin actions on the wings, and the center becomes the crucial battleground for these strategic fights. The Sicilian Defense is a perfect example of this—it’s famous for its tactical depth and dynamic play.

In some cases, attacks on one flank are met with defenses on the same side. But in other situations, they are countered with attacks on the opposite side.

In this blog post, I want to share a few examples where you can see these dynamics in action:

Example # 1

Example # 2

Funny animals of the week - 11 December 2015 (40 pics) | Amazing Creatures

Example # 3

Example # 4

If you want to explore this concept further, I recommend diving into positions from the Sicilian Defense, particularly the Keres Attack or the Najdorf Variation with 5. Bg5. These openings are rich in strategic and tactical themes, making them perfect for studying dynamic centers.

I hope you enjoyed these examples! See you around, and don’t forget to make your opponents cry (in a friendly way, of course)!

Hi 

Let me tell you a little bit about my chess background. I started playing chess at the age of 8 because I wanted to defeat my best friend at the time. What can I say? I am super competitive, but I have become a better person now!

So after a lot of chess lessons, I became a provincial and national youth champion. Also, I got second place in the Pan American U-20 Championship (2012) and 10th place in the World Youth Chess Championship (2011), and I earned the FIDE Master title at 15. My peak FIDE rating was 2190.


At the moment, I am not playing OTB that much because I am a full-time chess coach.

Well, let's speak about what the blog is about! I have decided to write some articles about my chess experience, my students' stories, and whatever I can share with you that has to do with chess, basically.


Finally, I hope you like at least a few of them, and I am open to any suggestions! So see you around and make your opponents cry, not your friends! happy