Openingtrainer attacking the center

The center is extremely important, so a smart opponent will not easily give up control of the center. Besides the fact that we like to place a pawn in the center, it can also be smart to attack the opponent's center.

Take a look at the example.

Here White has the interesting opportunity to put pressure on the black center with the c-pawn. Should Black choose to capture this c-pawn, White can take back with the bishop in a single move. Suddenly Black has lost an important center pawn, while White is developing well.

What do you have to do?

Look for active development moves and also see if you can fight for the center. Consider a way to put pressure on the opponent's center right away.

Example 1

In this position it is a good idea to place a pawn in the center with 1.d4. Yet there is also an interesting alternative. We can put pressure on the black center with the pawn move 1.c4! If Black captures, White will have a very comfortable development after 1…dxc4 2.Bxc4.