Open file
Encyclopedia
An open file in chess
is a file with no pawns
of either color on it. In the diagram, the e-file is an open file. An open file can provide a line of attack for a rook
or queen
. Having rook(s) and/or queen(s) on open files or half-open file
s is considered advantageous, as it allows a player to attack more easily, since a rook or queen can move down the file to penetrate the opponent's position.
first recognized the power of a major piece on an open file, writing in his famous book My System
that the main objective of a rook or queen on an open file is "the eventual occupation of the 7th or 8th rank."
Many games are decided based on this strategy. In the game Anand
–Ivanchuk, Amber 2001, Anand sacrificed
a pawn to open the d-file. White then used the open file to deploy his rooks to the seventh and eighth ranks and win the game, by exploiting the weakness of Black's a-pawn. White's dominance on the d-file allowed him to maneuver his rooks to aggressive posts deep within Black's defense.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
is a file with no pawns
Pawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
of either color on it. In the diagram, the e-file is an open file. An open file can provide a line of attack for a rook
Rook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
or queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
. Having rook(s) and/or queen(s) on open files or half-open file
Half-open file
In chess, a half-open file, or semi-open file, is a file with only pawns of one color. The half-open file can provide a line of attack for a player's rook or queen. A half-open file can only be used by the player with no pawns on it....
s is considered advantageous, as it allows a player to attack more easily, since a rook or queen can move down the file to penetrate the opponent's position.
Strategic advantage
A common strategic objective for a rook or queen on an open file is to reach its seventh or eighth rank (or for Black, its second or first rank). Controlling the seventh rank (or second rank for Black) is generally worth at least a pawn, as most of the opponent's pawns will usually reside there. Aron NimzowitschAron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch was a Russian-born Danish unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer...
first recognized the power of a major piece on an open file, writing in his famous book My System
My System
My System is a book on chess theory written by Aron Nimzowitsch. Originally over a series of five brochures from 1925 to 1927, the book — one of the early works on hypermodernism — introduced many new concepts to followers of the modern school of thought...
that the main objective of a rook or queen on an open file is "the eventual occupation of the 7th or 8th rank."
Many games are decided based on this strategy. In the game Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
–Ivanchuk, Amber 2001, Anand sacrificed
Sacrifice (chess)
In chess, a sacrifice is a move giving up a piece in the hopes of gaining tactical or positional compensation in other forms. A sacrifice could also be a deliberate exchange of a chess piece of higher value for an opponent's piece of lower value....
a pawn to open the d-file. White then used the open file to deploy his rooks to the seventh and eighth ranks and win the game, by exploiting the weakness of Black's a-pawn. White's dominance on the d-file allowed him to maneuver his rooks to aggressive posts deep within Black's defense.