The Role of the Center in a Chess Game

A book by Boris Davydovich Persits, Honored Coach of the USSR, from the "Chess Player's Little Library" series. This is the third edition, revised and expanded; the first came out in 1961, the second as an abridged booklet titled "The Center" in 1965.

It covers one of the central questions of chess strategy — the fight for the center. The various types of center are examined through examples from the classics and from recent tournament play, and giving up the center is not treated as a mistake in itself: the author shows when it costs you and when it is perfectly playable.

The author addresses the book to players studying theory on their own, and to coaches, who can pick examples and games to match the strength of their pupils.

While preparing the first edition, the author received a number of suggestions from grandmaster V. V. Ragozin and Honored Master of Sport of the USSR P. A. Romanovsky.

Contents

• Introduction
• Mobile central pawns
• The isolated pawn in the center
• Hanging pawns
• The fixed center
• Pieces in the center, pressure on the center
• Illustrative games