Demonstration and Application Revision Version 2.0: The Return of the Revolutionaries of the Mountain of Slyzikarieth’s Death (Part XIV)

Josh WatersTy Fenn

Tianyu Chen

Don’t worry, it’s still about chess.

DemonstrationCastling is a special move that is often used in chess where the king and one rook can switch places. It is often regarded as a defensive move and generally a good strategy, especially to move the rook out of the corner. First, the king and the rook cannot have moved on the game yet. Second, the King cannot be under attack or end up being under attack when moving. Finally, the king moves two squares toward one of its rooks, and the rook ends up on the other side of the king, as shown below.

DemonstrationHowever, it is worth noting that, while the king can castle either way, the side which you castle on does make a difference. There are two different castling moves: Kingside Castling and Queenside Castling. Kingside refers to Castling towards the side of the board that the King is on (right for white, left for black), and Queenside is castling the King towards the Queen’s side of the board (left for white, right for black).

Queenside Castling

Before Castling

Kingside Castling

Demonstration

Kingside Castling is the most common, as it is the more defensive of the two. Notice how the King, even though it’s safe in the corner, is still able to protect the three pawns in front of him. However, the trade-off is that it takes one extra turn to move the rook to a more offensive position.

DemonstrationQueenside Castling is the more offensive of the two types. Notice how the Rook is automatically attacking the center of the board. This allows it to defend any pieces you may have there, or immediately attack the enemy’s position. However, the defense does have a hole. Notice that the pawn on the far left of the structure is undefended. One piece and come and destroy your wall , making things worse for you. If you do decide to castle to the queen’s side, try and take a turn to move your king over one to protect all the pawns in front of him.

ApplicationIt’s also important to take note of all the other pieces. Look at the board below and choose which way white should castle.

Click here if you think white should castle Kingside.

Click here if you think white should castle Queenside.

ApplicationThat’s actually not the best option. Black has better position, so it may seem tempting to castle Kingside, but as shown here on the left, castling to that side is an instant loss. The Black Queen can checkmate your king, due to being protected by the bishop behind it.

If you’d like to see what happens when you castle Queenside, click here.

If you’d like to you’d like to move on, click here.

ApplicationSurprisingly, Castling Queenside turns out to be the better move, defensively. The combination of Black’s Bishop and Queen seems no longer as threatening, and your rook is able to back up the pieces in the center. With all of the pieces you have in front of your King, you shouldn’t have to worry about being attacked for quite a while.

If you’d like to you’d like to move on, click here.

If you’d like to see what would happen if you castled Kingside, click here.

When to CastleWhile Castling as early as possible isn’t necessarily a bad idea, it usually gives your opponent a free turn to do what he may want. It might be worth holding off on Castling if you should be developing more pieces towards the center or protecting the position you have. It shouldn’t be a race to see who castles first. Castle when you are confident in your position or if you feel you need a rook in the center of the board.

Now is probably too early to castle. Develop more pieces.

It’s probably okay to castle at this point in the game.