Elements of Positional Evaluation by Dan Heisman

Author:Dan Heisman [Heisman, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-888690-58-3
Publisher: SCB Distributors
Published: 2011-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

Doubled rooks on the seventh rank Nimzovich, My System “Triumph of the Seventh Rank”

Nimzovich gives the following: 1.Rg7+ Kf8 2.Rh7 Kg8 3.Rcg7+ Kf8 4.Ng5! and White wins, e.g., 4...d4 5.Ne6+ B×e6 6.f×e6 Re8 7.e7+ R×e7 8.R×e7. 2008 world computer chess champion Rybka finds a mate with the immediate 1.Ng5, viz., 1...Rb6 2.Rg7+ Kh8 3.Rh7+ Kf8 4.Ne6+ R×e6 5.f×e6 Re8 6.e7+ R×e7 7.R×e7 Bd3 8.Rhf7+ Kg8 9.Rg7+ and White mates. When I force Rybka to play Nimzovich’s line, it thinks that 1.Rg7+ Kh8 puts up more resistance than 1...Kf8, but White still eventually checkmates with 2.Ng5!. It also finds that 1.Rg7+ Kf8 2.Ng5! mates more quickly. Good rook coordination...

The reason that rooks coordinate well together is different than the reason bishops do. Rooks can mutually protect each other, thus lowering vulnerability and further enhancing possibilities of attack. Doubling has the effect of increasing “plausible” mobility, and greatly increasing flexibility. Even in positions with low tactical possibilities, a master often doubles rooks for potential later action. On the negative side doubled rooks take away actual mobility from one another and in some cases may make it easier for the opponent to trap one of the rooks.

Because of the rook’s great flexibility and its equality of potential mobility, it is sometimes more difficult to decide where to place the rook than any other piece. Even at the grandmaster level, you often see annotation such as “Add another to those melancholy case histories entitled ‘the wrong rook.’” The annotator is referring to the often difficult choice of trying to decide which rook, usually on the back rank, should be moved to a specific file. The decision may be tactical and/or positional, and its position dependency makes the subject a difficult one, beyond the scope of this work.

Even though castling is technically considered a king move, this is a good place to consider castling with respect to the elements. Although castling cannot increase the rook’s potential mobility, it has many advantageous features, as it:

(1) reduces the vulnerability of the king;

(2) makes favorable moves for two pieces with one tempo;

(3) increases a rook’s potential center control;

(4) usually increases a rook’s flexibility;

(5) usually increases the rook’s actual mobility; and

(6) most importantly (for the rook), greatly increases the coordination with the other pieces, especially the other rook.

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