Castling is not just a move to safeguard your king.It's an important decision that in all cases has to do with the rest of the characteristics of the position.
If I remember correctly Reti said , "We don't castle when we can , we castle when we want".
So your question is impossible to be answered.
One thing you must remember is that chess is not cooking.There are no recipes or magic formulas.That is why understanding is so important.
It depends on the situation, but generally, you don't want to castle towards the side where your opponent is aiming at, unless you want to lose ASAP.
Like if your opponent's bishops are both aimed at your Kingside...you might want to castle Queenside.
Sometimes I don't castle at all, because it makes me lose time rather than gaining it. Also, I think that when the central lines aren't open, and the centre isn't too hot for one's king, there is no need to castle.
@ pfren you should preferentially use your use knight to deliver mate cos it makes you look clever
Pointless question. Either side, or not at all. It absolutely depends on a concrete position, without putting ALL the pieces on the board, it cannot be answered. It's not much different than asking "which piece should I use to deliver mate?".
Seems like you read the thread title and not the first post. His post didn't ask which side to castle on, (which would indeed be a pointless question...) He said >How to know in which side to castle?< Which isn't particularly grammatical, but it isn't pointless either.
So, how does one know?
If you play against someone that only knows how to develope their pieces and castle and follows standard rules, then you can confuse them by not castling and still beat them. They might learn something!
There are a few guidelines (not to be confused as RULES) to keep in mind :
#1 : If you are up material, strive for symmetry so castle on the same side as the other guy. Vice-versa if you are down material, that ways opposite-castling lets you throw your pawns at your opponent's king and keep fighting.
#2 : A more obvious tip is that you don't castle into (i.e. to the side ) a terrible attack that your opponent's pieces can launch given where they are pointing / hovering.
Seems like you read the thread title and not the first post. His post didn't ask which side to castle on, (which would indeed be a pointless question...) He said >How to know in which side to castle?< Which isn't particularly grammatical, but it isn't pointless either.
So, how does one know?
Thanks.That was the meaning of the question.How can i know which side to castle in different(random if you want) situations?
#1 : If you are up material, strive for symmetry so castle on the same side as the other guy. Vice-versa if you are down material, that ways opposite-castling lets you throw your pawns at your opponent's king and keep fighting.
#2 : A more obvious tip is that you don't castle into (i.e. to the side ) a terrible attack that your opponent's pieces can launch given where they are pointing / hovering.
Ok,thanks for the rules.
They are obvious but rules are rules.Any more non-obvious rules?
How to know in which side to castle?That question is ever more difficult for me when i am castling in the middle game.