Castling, I have read, doubles the king’s security. Therefore, one idea is that a player should castle as early as possible. Since it develops the rook used to castle, it has the added advantage of being a developing move.<\/p>\n
Playing against the computer, however, I find castling early offers a target. The computer seems less decisive when my king is still in the center, but could castle. While the computer remains non-committal, I get more time to develop my pieces. (I always play black, so an extra move is valuable.)<\/p>\n
Some of my best wins have come from castling middle-game, or not castling at all. While that fact counters common chess thinking, I find that, often, I need to break with conventional wisdom to win. During a game, I’m often confused because I believe the move I “should” make will not lead to best advantage.<\/p>\n
I’ll be sharing more of my chess reflections in coming posts:)<\/p>\n
Source:<\/p>\n
Horowitz, I.A., and Fred Reinfeld. How to Improve Your Chess.<\/u> New York:
Collier Books, 1972.<\/p>\n