and also to assume the initiative or obtain material advantage, Black makes a counter-demonstration by P - Q B 4, followed by P × P (when White defends the Pawn by P - Q B 3), and the concentrating of Black's pieces against the White Pawn at Q 4. This in substance might be said to be a determined attack against White's centre in order to paralyse the direct attack of White against Black's King. It must be remembered that at the beginning of the book it was stated that control of the centre was an essential condition to a successful attack against the King.
In an abstract way we may say that two or more Pawns are strongest when they are in the same rank next to one another. Thus the centre Pawns are strongest in themselves, so to speak, when placed at K 4 and Q 4 respectively, hence the question of advancing either the one or the other to the fifth rank is one that must be most carefully considered. The advance of either Pawn often determines the course the game will follow.
Another thing to be considered is the matter of one or more passed Pawns when they are isolated either singly or in pairs. We might say that a passed Pawn is either very weak or very strong, and that its weakness or strength, whichever happens to be in the case to be considered, increases as it advances, and is at the same time in direct relation to the number of pieces on the board. In this last respect it might be generally said that a passed Pawn increases in strength as the number of pieces on the board diminishes.
Having all this clear in mind we will now revert to the openings and middle-game. We will analyse games carefully from beginning to end according to general principles. I shall, whenever possible, use my own games, not because they will better illustrate the point, but because, knowing them thoroughly, I shall be able to explain them more authoritatively than the games of others.
32. SOME POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS FROM A RUY LOPEZ
That some of the variations in the openings and the manœuvres in the middle-game are often based on some of the elementary principles just expounded can be easily seen in the following case:
Example 65.
| 1. P - K 4 | P - K 4 | |
| 2. Kt - K B 3 | Kt - Q B 3 | |
| 3. B - Kt 5 | P - Q R 3 | |
| 4. B - R 4 | Kt - B 3 | |
| 5. O - O | Kt × P | |
| 6. P - Q 4 | P - Q Kt 4 | |
| 7. B - Kt 3 | P - Q 4 | |
| 8. P × P | B - K 3 | |
| 9. P - B 3 | B - K 2 | |
| 10. R - K 1 | Kt - B 4 | |
| 11. B - B 2 | B - Kt 5 | |
| 12. Q Kt - Q 2 | O - O | |
| 13. Kt - Kt 3 | Kt - K 3 |