User manual

KINGS, ROOKS AND PAWNS

After pressing MODE and seeing TEACH displayed on the LCD, if you

press the ROOK key the computer will be ready to start play with only the

kings, rooks and pawns on the board.

There are two important rules to remember about using your rooks. The first

and most useful is that you should nearly always try to place your rooks on

“open” files, that is columns of squares (such as the column from al to a8)

which have no pawns on them. A rook on an open file has plenty of scope to

advance at the correct moment into the enemy camp.

I 0-0 0-0

We use the symbols 0-0 to indicate castling king’s side.

2 c 2 - c 4 c 7 - c 6

3 d 2 - d 4 d 7 - d 5

4 c 4 x d 5 c 6 x d 5

5 R f l - c

Now, after 5 ... Rf8-c8, it would be a mistake for White to play 6 Rclxc8+

because then Black’s recapture 6...,Ra8xc8 would leave BLACK in command

of the only open file on the board. Black would then follow up with 7 ... Rc8-

c2, with a dominating position. (The second rule for rooks is that they are

very well placed on their 7th rank in the endgame. For Black this means

putting the rooks on the rank numbered 2 in the above diagram. After 5 ...

Rf8-c8, White should continue with the plan: Kgl-fl, Kfl-el, Kel-dl, followed

only now by Rclxc8 and then Ral-cl, challenging for control of the open file.

To put it very simply, Black can simply move his bishop back and forth

between the squares (for example) a8, d5 and hl, and refuse to move his king.

There is absolutely no way that White can then make progress. So although

White is two pawns ahead, and they are both passed pawns, White can do no

more than draw.

Since the presence of opposite colored bishops very often heralds a draw in the

endgame, if you find yourself behind in material you should always try to

trade off the bishops and knights in such a way as to leave opposite colored

bishops on the board, preferably without any knights, rooks or queens on the

board. On the other hand, the presence of opposite colored bishops can

sometimes help a player who is attacking his opponent’s king with the

assistance of his queen.