Depends very much on the opening. Sometimes it is good to castle early when it is an obvious improving move you can make while preserving your options about how to deploy your pieces.
Black Castling before White
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Bullshit. Sometimes it's even better not to castle.
Jan 25, 2015
0
#4
Sometimes that is true. It depends very much on the opening. In the context of Guioco Piano it often makes sense to delay castling or even forgo castling. But the idea is bad for many other openings.
Omega_Doom wrote:
Bullshit. Sometimes it's even better not to castle.
Black does not have to wait for White to castle if castling is the best move forBlack.
premio53 wrote:
"...beginners will be wise to remember the old maxim: 'Black should never castle before White does'. In other words, if Black wishes to avoid unpleasant assaults by White, is is advisable to wait and see where the latter castles, so as to castle on the same side!"
This was take from page 57 of "Chess Opening Essentials Vol 1." It is under the section of the "Giuoco Piano." How important is that rule?
A "maxim" is more of a wise guideline than a "rule". Since white has the advantage of the first move, castling before white gives white a little bit of additional help in figuring out a strategy. At the grandmaster level, it might make a difference.
At our level, where both sides routinely waste moves, it is certainly not an ironclad rule. On the other hand, at our level, where people routinely launch dubious attacks, why reduce your options? In the Sicilian, for example, as black, I am very hesitant to castle early on the kingside. It seems to fire up white's castling queenside and launching all out kingside attacks.
I don't have that book but I would guess that the authors provided an example or two of how black got into trouble by castling.
At any rate, I disagree that it is "bs". It is possible that the three grandmasters who wrote the book know more than Omega Doom.
Jan 25, 2015
0
#7
The principle of black delaying castling IS bs as a generality. As an idea to have in mind that is sometimes useful , it is sound. I repeat and emphasize the word SOMETIMES.
That is very untrue in some of the sicilians and also stuff like the Nimzo.
But in the openings I mentioned you already know where your counter play is going to happen. Maybe in "quieter" openings it's better to try and make white show his hand.
But always waiting to see where you opponent castles may just leave your own king stuck in the middle.
I just castle unless I see a reason not to. Because my king is my opponents ultimate resourse for tactis
"...beginners will be wise to remember the old maxim: 'Black should never castle before White does'. In other words, if Black wishes to avoid unpleasant assaults by White, is is advisable to wait and see where the latter castles, so as to castle on the same side!"
This was take from page 57 of "Chess Opening Essentials Vol 1." It is under the section of the "Giuoco Piano." How important is that rule?