Chess School Quiz Challenge #10

Challenge

White has captured Black's knight on c5. Now Black has to take back. But how? With the b-pawn or with the d-pawn?

Solution

A grandmaster of Alexander Donchenko's caliber does not have to think about how to play the best move. Instead, the best move comes to him automatically: 1...b6xc5. Not only Alexander Donchenko learned this rule of thumb as a child:

The principle behind it is simple: center control.

The center, the squares e4, d4, e5, d5, is the most important zone on the board. Whoever dominates or controls the center has the best chance of controlling the whole board. That's why every game of chess between good players begins with a battle for the center.

Because the center is so important, we want to exert as much influence on it as possible. By capturing in the center, moving the pawn from the b- to the c-file, Donchenko increased his influence on the center.

If he had captured away from the center instead, his influence on the center would have diminished. This would have been immediately apparent: the e5-pawn would have been left without protection and would have become a target for white pressure.