LESSON VIII.

CASTLING-SOME PECULIARITIES OF PAWN-PLAY-PAWN TAKES CENTRE PAWNS-DOUBLED PAWNS

66

P. en passant”.

PASSED PAWNS-ISOLATED PAWNS-ADVANCING A PAWN TO
QUEEN-PROBLEM ILLUSTRATIVE OF QUEENING A PAWN-
FORKING WITH PAWN OR KNIGHT-THE EXCHANGE.

ALTHOUGH the move of the King is limited to one square t a time, yet, by a peculiar privilege, which under certain conditions, may be exercised once during the game, a compound move is allowed, whereby the King moves over two squares. This compound move is made by playing K. R. or Q. R. up to the K., and then placing the K. on the other side of the R. thus moved. This is called CASTLING, or to Castle the KING, and its object is generally to secure the royal piece a place of greater safety, as also to bring a Rook into play. Sometimes, however, a player castles in order to escape from an attack, and, in such case he will castle on his King's side, i. e., with K. R.; or, on his Queen's side, i. e., with Q. R., as may best suit his purpose.

The conditions under which Castling is allowed, are as follows:

1. The King must not be in check. 2. The K. must not have been moved. 3. The Rook must not have been moved. 4. There must be no piece, either of your own or of your adversary, between the K. and the R. 5. The King must not pass over, or to any square, attacked by one of your ad. versary's pieces or Pawns.

The following diagram will serve to illustrate the impor. tant operation of Castling.

WHITE.

In this position, supposing neither your King nor Rooks have been moved during the game, you are at liberty to castle either with your K. R. or your Q. R. To castle with your K. R., or, on your K. side, you first play your K. R. to K. B. sq., and then place your K. on K. Kt. sq.; this completes the operation of Castling. To castle on your Q. side, or with Q. R., you first play that piece to Q. sq., and then place your K. on Q. B. sq. Observe that, although your Q. R. is under the attack of your adversary's K. B., and although your Q. Kt. sq. is commanded by his Q. B., yet. you can still castle on your Queen's side, because the law which forbids the King, in castling, to pass over any square attacked by one of your adversary's pieces or pawns, is lim. ited to the King only, and does not apply to the Rook.

You will observe that your adversary cannot castle on his K. side, because the K. B. sq., over which his K. must pass, is commanded by your Q. B., and the K. Kt. sq., to which he must pass, is commanded by your K. B. Nor can he castle on the Q. side, because his Q. R. has been moved. There are several peculiarities respecting the Pawns, with which you must become acquainted. Young players are apt to imagine that, because the supply of Pawns is lib. eral, and their value much less than that of the pieces, they need not be greatly regarded. But the fact is, that to play the Pawns well is almost the same thing as to play Chess well: it is the most refined and difficult part of the game, and Philidor owed much of his excellence to the surpassing skill with which he manoeuvred his Pawns. We shall have abundant examples of the value of Pawns hereafter; at present, our information will be confined chiefly to some of their technicalities.

The names of the Pawns, K. P., Q. P., K. B. P., &c., you are already acquainted with; other terms are in frequent use, such as Pawn takes "en passant;" Centre Pawns; Doubled Pawn; Passed Pawn; Isolated Pawn; to Queen a Pawn; or, to advance a Pawn to Queen; to fork with a Pawn.

With respect to the first term, P. takes P. en passant, you known that the move of the Pawn is limited to one square forward when not capturing, and to one square obliquely forward when it captures. It has also been stated, that the Pawn is allowed to move, either one or two steps forward, at its first move; but when, in moving two steps, it passes over a square attacked by one of your adversary's Pawns, he has the option either of allowing the Pawn to be moved to its full extent, or of capturing it with his Pawn, just as if you had moved your Pawn but one square. This being a point very little understood by beginners, we shall illustrate it by a dia. gram ·

In this position you may move Q. P. one sq. or two se if you move it only one sq. it can evidently be captured by either pawn-and if you move it two squares, it is optional with your adversary to capture it with either Pawn, just the same as if you had moved the Pawn but one sq., in which case he will remove your Pawn from the board, and seat one of his Pawns at your Q. third square.

In the same position, White's King's R. P. is also un moved; but should you think fit to push it two sq., it cannot be captured by the adverse Pawn, because in this case, it does not cross a square commanded by that Pawn; of which it is already "en prise" (in take). The difference is easily perceptible. Remember that a Pawn may be taken " en passant" only by a Pawn and not by a piece; and that the

privilege ceases, unless advantage be taken of it at the very

next move.

The term "Centre Pawns" is usually applied to the K. P. and Q. P. The best position they can occupy at the beginning of the game is the centre of the board, viz., K. 4th and Q. 4th sq.; but against good play, much skill is required in maintaining them in this position.

When one Pawn stands before another on the same file, and both belong to the same player, it is called "a doubled Pawn." In the diagram illustrative of Castling, you have a doubled Pawn at your Q. Kt.'s 4th, and your adversary nas one at his Q. R. 4th sq.

A passed Pawn is one which has no adverse Pawn in front of it, either on the same file, or advancing towards it on either of the adjoining files. Suppose you have a Pawn on your K. B. file, and your adversary has no Pawn, either on his King's file, or K. Kt.'s file, your Pawn is then said to be passed. Such a Pawn is very valuable, because, in order to prevent it from being advanced to Queen, your adversary must oppose or capture it with a piece; in which case, if your Pawn be properly defended, you win a piece for a Pawn.

When a Pawn is entirely separated from other Pawns, it is said to be "isolated." You must be careful how you allow your Pawns to become isolated, because when. in this condition they can be defended only by pieces; and these ought to be used rather as active warriors than as passive sentinels. A skilful player, however, will often be willing to isolate a Pawn, if, at the same time, he "passes" it.

When a Pawn is advanced to the eighth square of the file, it is said to be " 'Queened," in which case you remove it from the square, and place thereon a piece in its stead.

The following problem will illustrate the advantage of the passed Pawn, and serve to remind you of a fact of which amateurs are frequently ignorant, i. e., that in queening a