Control the center - why? (and more...)

Hello! :)

simple question... why shoul i control the center in chess?

at all chess tips lists - "control the center" is one of them... but i dont understand why the center... the logic part of it... and because of that i am not pay attention to that rule sometimes...

how can i get the logic behind the chess tips/rules?

one more example - why its isnt good to move my pawn forward even if they are support each other? why the best placement of them is behind?

i will be love to hear about a way to learn the logic of chess...

thank u!

:)

I'm not the best qualified to answer this  but here's an explanation that I hope will be helpful.

1) Control of the center is good because of the flexibility involved.  The guy who controls the center is more likely going to be able to get his pieces over to either the queenside or the kingside more easily then his opponent, who can't just shuffle his pieces through the middle to get to either side.  It also can mean that he has a space advantage, cramping his opponent's pieces, which will have less mobility as a result.

2) Since pawns can't move backwards, every move forwards by a pawn is a commitment.  Initially a pawn in its starting position controls two squares in front of it ( or one if it is a rook pawn).  Whenever you move a pawn forward, it is giving up control of squares that it controlled before.  This can turn out to be a weakness that can be exploited by your opponent.

For example, let's say you've moved your c and e pawns to c4 and e4 respectively, now you no longer can protect d4 with your pawns and it may be possible for your opponent to take advantage of that by using that square for himself.  Your opponent could post a knight on d4 and it can no longer be chased away by a pawn, since the pawns to either side of it have moved ahead of that square and no longer will be able to attack it to chase the knight away.

All pieces except the rook get more possible moves in the centre. You need to be able to find safe squares in the centre for your pieces to radiate power.

thank u all!

Here is a quick lesson on the importance of centre control. You will need paper and something to write with.

Part one : You control the centre.

1. Draw a square.

2. Draw a line from the bottom of the square to the top of the square. (easy right?)

Part two : You don't control the centre.

1. Draw a new square.

2. Draw a large circle in the middle of the square.

3. Draw a line from the bottom of the square to the top of the square without touching the circle.

The lines you drew in the squares are symbolic of the flow of your pieces on the chessboard. In the first example, the line was short, and immediately struck the other side of the square (your opponents side). In the second example, the line was longer, and less effective (you had to maneuver around your opponents control).

great view! thank u!