Control of the centre

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Control of the centre is an important positional strategy in chess and some other board games.

In chess, the strategy consists of placing pieces so that they attack the central four squares of the board. However, a piece being placed on a central square does not necessarily mean it controls the centre - e.g. a knight on a central square does not attack any central squares. Conversely, a piece does not have to be on a central square in order to control the centre.

Control of the centre is important because tactical battles often take place around the central squares, from where pieces can access most of the board.

Chess openings try to control the centre while developing pieces. So-called Hypermodern openings are those that control the centre with pieces from afar (usually the side, such as with a Fianchetto); the older Classical (or Modern) openings control it with pawns.