One of my chess opponents said that he doesn't think castling is good because the king is in the corner and it is easy to checkmate. However, many articles and books suggest that I castle early when I get a chance. Why is castling a good move in chess?
1
-
1Does this answer your question? When is castling needed?– Brian McCutchonApr 16, 2021 at 20:45
Add a comment
|
2 Answers
Castling is generally a good move because it gets your king out of the center in the early and mid game. The center is contested in the early and middle game. The classical idea behind controlling the center is that with more space to place pieces and maneuver, that player has a positional advantage that can transform into a tactical advantage if their opponent plays imprecisely. Getting the king away from tactics and scary pieces is a good way to avoid getting checkmated. Once those scary pieces have been traded off, the king is best placed in the center where it is often the most powerful piece of the endgame.
It's true that the king is easier to checkmate in the corner, but the king is also easier to defend in the corner.
-
1You should probably mention that the king is also easy to checkmate in the center - especially if all our pieces and pawns are trying our best to control the center and we can potentially blast it all open Apr 16, 2021 at 21:58
Chess is a game of specific posiitons more than one of general principles. Normally, kings are safer in the corner because players want to fight for the center, so it's not a good idea to have the king in the middle of the action. But this doesn't mean that a castled king will always be safer than one in the center or vice-versa
