The Rook Postulate!

'Moving the rook as far as plausible is almost always the best move.' - FM Sean Vibbert

'We often overlook long moves - that our opponents make or that we could have made. At the board, we focus on only a portion of the board, perhaps less than half of the 64 squares.' - GM Andy Soltis

'Many players do not see the whole board when calculating variations. This is especially true if the main events are taking place in one particular sector of the board, as their calculation tends to focus on that area too. Because of this lack of 'peripheral vision', such players frequently fail to notice the possibility of enemy pieces that are located far away joining in the fight, or they simply miss 'long' moves, where pieces traverse a significant section of the board. Such possibilities can often confer a large advantage on a player, and even decide the game in his favor.' - GM Konstantin Sakaev

1) Why do rooks belong on open files?
Because they can control more squares and can often infiltrate into the 7th or 8th ranks.

2) Which squares are generally the most important?
The ones in the opponent's territory - the squares that are the furthest away. When you develop your rooks, it is usually because they are the least active piece. If rooks are the least active piece, they are generally far away from the most relevant squares.

3) Why is it important to consider long rook moves?
Because they are generally the strongest, provided that they are safe. Many players fail to consider these moves because, for much of the game, rooks hide behind the scenes due to the closed nature of most openings. When your rooks are ready to shine, you need to be ready!

This blog is a sample of our Rooks course that you can study here.