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How to Choose Good Rook Moves

Chess is one of the oldest games in existence. Evolving out of popular strategy games in Asia as early as the 6th century, chess spread rapidly throughout the world. The modern form and rules of chess began to take shape around the 10th century as the game started to become standardized. Chess is a game of both strategy and tactics with master players learning hundreds of possible moves and combinations throughout their careers. Understanding the basic tactics of a powerful piece like the rook can help you decide on what constitutes a "good move" in your game.

Instructions

- 1
  Protect the rook if all possible. Many tactics of chess involve leaving one of your pieces intentionally open for attack, essentially offering it to the opposing player in what is called a gambit, or sacrificing a piece to gain one of your opponent's in return. These are important and viable tactics to use during a game, but you need to take the value of the piece you will be losing into account. The rook is one of the most powerful pieces in the game, often called a heavy piece and is third behind the king and the queen in terms of value. The rook should not be used, if all possible, as a sacrificial piece due to the power it offers in the middle and endgame.
- 2
  Move the rook to open or half open files whenever possible. Files are the columns on the chess board. An open file is when there are no pawns from either side on that file. A half-open file is when there are no friendly pawns on the file. Rooks have the most power when they have room to move, pawns on a file block much of a rook's maneuverability and offensive capabilities.
- 3
  Control ranks and files with the rook. A single rook can be used to protect or threaten an entire rank or file from encroachment or pin down enemy pieces within their controlled squares. This can be used to completely control an enemy knight, for instance, if the enemy is in a corner. With a single square, the rook can control every potential square the knight may move into while being out of that knight's reach.
- 4
  Attack the 7th and 8th ranks for devastating effects. The 7th and 8th ranks are the two ranks where the opponent's pieces are set up. In the opening of the game, before pieces are developed, they are cramped into the 7th and 8th ranks with little room to maneuver. This inability to move freely, coupled with the inability of all lower ranked pieces to threaten squares laterally, means that a rook attacking the 7th and 8th ranks can wreck havoc and force an early check. In the endgame, a single rook on the 7th rank can simply hamper the king's ability to move away from danger and is crucial to many endgame checkmate strategies.

Chess & Checkers