Project approval after AI review on November 2, 2026. Human proofreading is still pending.
Lesson 8
Why the middle of the board matters
- What you will learn
- You recognize the four squares in the middle and occupy one with a pawn.
- What you should already know
- How pawns move and capture
- Lesson 2: How the pieces move
Time: about 5 minutes
Thinking questions in this lesson
You can ask yourself these thinking questions in any position. They help you find a good move.
- Which pawn move changes the position?new
- Which piece could be better placed?
Step 1 of 6
Look first
There are four special squares in the middle of the board.
Tap the four squares in the middle of the board. Check your answer once you have marked them all.
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space marks a square or removes the mark.
Choose a square from a list
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Queen d1
- Rook a1
- Rook h1
- Bishop c1
- Bishop f1
- Knight b1
- Knight g1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn c2
- Pawn d2
- Pawn e2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King e8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook h8
- Bishop c8
- Bishop f8
- Knight b8
- Knight g8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c7
- Pawn d7
- Pawn e7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 2 of 6
Decide
This lesson adds a new thinking question: which pawn move changes the position? Ask it right from the first move.
The game is just starting. Which plan is right?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Queen d1
- Rook a1
- Rook h1
- Bishop c1
- Bishop f1
- Knight b1
- Knight g1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn c2
- Pawn d2
- Pawn e2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King e8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook h8
- Bishop c8
- Bishop f8
- Knight b8
- Knight g8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c7
- Pawn d7
- Pawn e7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 3 of 6
Try it
Put a pawn on a central square.
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Queen d1
- Rook a1
- Rook h1
- Bishop c1
- Bishop f1
- Knight b1
- Knight g1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn c2
- Pawn d2
- Pawn e2
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King e8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook h8
- Bishop c8
- Bishop f8
- Knight b8
- Knight g8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c7
- Pawn d7
- Pawn e7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 4 of 6
Why does it work?
From the middle, pieces can quickly reach both sides of the board.
A pawn in the middle takes squares away from your opponent. We call these four squares the center.
Key idea
Fight for the four central squares at the start.
When does this apply?
You can occupy them with pawns or control them with pieces. A pawn that simply advances without being protected may be lost.
Step 5 of 6
New position, same idea
Even if you do not occupy the center first, you can still fight for it.
You are playing Black. White has two pawns in the center. Capture one of them with a pawn.
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King e1
- Queen d1
- Rook a1
- Rook h1
- Bishop c1
- Bishop f1
- Knight b1
- Knight g1
- Pawn a2
- Pawn b2
- Pawn c2
- Pawn d4
- Pawn e4
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g2
- Pawn h2
Black
- King e8
- Queen d8
- Rook a8
- Rook h8
- Bishop c8
- Bishop f8
- Knight b8
- Knight g8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b7
- Pawn c5
- Pawn d7
- Pawn e7
- Pawn f7
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 6 of 6
Nimzowitsch and today
Source
Nimzowitsch explains why a pawn center helps secure development and names the four central squares. The text and positions are newly written for the course.
Today’s view (editorial note)
Today, players often fight for the center from a distance too, for example with knights or bishops. Nimzowitsch himself later championed this idea.