The Power of Controlling Open Files | Chess Middlegames

😎 Become a Patron (extra daily content):   / hangingpawns   🎥 Twitch:   / hangingpawnstv   💲 Support the channel: https://www.paypal.me/HangingPawns 👕 Chess merch!: https://teespring.com/stores/hanging-... ♘ Follow me on lichess (write, ask, challenge): https://lichess.org/@/hpy To continue the series on chess middlegames, I have covered the topic of controlling open files, and utilizing and converting that control into a practical advantage. Very often in the middlegame material will be equal, and the evaluation of the position will depend on piece activity. If there are many pieces and pawns on the board, the piece that most often remains “unused” is the rook. That is why when a file becomes open, being able to control it by activating your rooks along it is so powerful. Apart from the control itself being an aesthetic and a theoretical advantage, often there will be no real benefit to it unless you can do something palpable using that control. The two most common ways control of an open file is utilized is either by infiltrating your opponent’s position, or using weak squares along the file for your minor and major pieces. I hope this video helps at least a bit! Let me know what you think! #chess