rules, tactics, strategies and history

The Knight in the Queen's Pawn Opening Middle Game

In Queen's Pawn openings the squares e5 and e4 are the ones which are aimed at by the respective Knights. If the opponent exchanges the Knight with either its Queen's Knight or its King's Bishop, the Pawn which takes the place of the Knight in recapturing, gains control of two squares in the heart of the hostile camp. To illustrate this by a case which often occurs: If after (1) P-d4, P-d5; (2) Kt-f3, Kt-f6; (3) P-e3, P-c5; (4) B-d3, Kt-c6; (5) o-o, P-e6; (6) P-b3, B-d6; (7) B-b2, o-o; (8) Ktb1-d2, P-b6; (9) Kt-e5 Black plays Bxe5, White in retaking drives Black's King's Knight away depriving the King's wing of an important protection and also creating a weakness on d6, where White might be able at some later stage of the game to establish its Knight.

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a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Another advantage of the position for White is that it can get its King's Rook into play by P-f4 and R-f3-h3, while Black's Rook cannot get to f6 as long as White has its Pawn on e5.