Why Does Controlling the Center Matter?
The single most important positional principle every chess player must understand.
Published 2026-02-01 | Last verified 2026-02-12
Professor Archer says: I like to tell my students that the center of the board is like the town square. Whoever controls the town square controls the flow of traffic in every direction. Pieces in the center radiate influence outward, and pieces on the edges are stuck watching the parade from a side street.
The Four Golden Squares
When chess players talk about "the center," they mean four squares: e4, d4, e5, and d5. These four squares sit at the very heart of the board, and a piece placed on any one of them enjoys maximum reach and flexibility.
Consider a knight. Place a knight on e4, and it can reach up to eight different squares. Move that same knight to a1, and it controls only two. The difference is dramatic. The same principle applies to bishops, queens, and even pawns — central placement magnifies their power.
This is why nearly every opening in chess involves a fight for these squares. From your very first move, you should be thinking about how to influence or occupy the center.
A Classical Center in Action
In this position, White has placed both central pawns on e4 and d4, forming what we call the "classical center." These pawns control four important squares in Black's half of the board: c5, d5, e5, and f5. This makes it very difficult for Black to develop pieces to active squares without first dealing with this pawn wall.
Notice how White's pieces behind the pawns have open diagonals and clear paths to develop. The bishop on c1 can come to f4 or g5. The knight on g1 has a natural home on f3, where it also supports the center. Everything works together because the center is secure.
White has established a classical pawn center with pawns on d4 and e4.
Why the Center Gives You Mobility
Think of the center as a highway intersection. If your pieces pass through the center, they can quickly shift from the kingside to the queenside — or launch an attack in either direction. If your opponent controls the center, your pieces are stuck taking detours along the edges of the board, arriving too late to matter.
This concept of mobility is what separates a comfortable position from a cramped one. When you control the center, your rooks can swing along open files, your bishops see long diagonals, and your knights hop to active outposts. When your opponent controls it, you feel squeezed, like trying to move furniture through a narrow hallway.
I have seen countless games where one side had more material but lost because their pieces were stuck on the rim while the opponent's pieces danced through the center.
Controlling vs. Occupying the Center
Here is a subtle but important distinction: you do not always need to place a pawn on e4 or d4 to control the center. Sometimes you control it with pieces. A knight on f3 influences d4 and e5. A bishop on c4 watches d5 and e6. You can control the center without occupying it, and sometimes that is the wiser approach.
The key question is always: who has more influence over those four golden squares? If your pieces and pawns together exert more pressure on the center than your opponent's, you have the advantage — whether or not your pawns are literally sitting on d4 and e4.
As you advance, you will learn openings like the King's Indian Defense where Black deliberately lets White build a big center, then attacks it. But the principle remains: whoever controls the center, by any means, steers the game.
Common Questions About the Center
Is it bad to play on the flanks?
Not at all, but flank operations work best when you already have a stable center. A flank attack without central control can be met by a counterattack through the middle of the board, which is usually faster and more dangerous.
What if my opponent gives up the center willingly?
Some openings, like the Alekhine Defense, deliberately invite the opponent to over-extend in the center and then target those pawns. If your opponent gives up the center, occupy it — but be prepared for counterattacks against your pawns.
How many pieces should I develop toward the center?
As a general rule, develop your knights and bishops toward the center in the opening. Knights on f3 and c3 (or f6 and c6 for Black), and bishops on active diagonals aimed at the center, are almost always well placed.
Professor Archer says: You will sometimes see grandmasters allow their opponent to occupy the center with pawns, only to undermine it later with flank attacks. That is an advanced idea called the hypermodern approach. But you must learn the classical way first — occupy the center, then branch out. Walk before you run.
Quick Quiz
A knight is placed on e5 in the middle of the board. How many squares can it potentially move to?
- Four squares - Four is the number of squares a knight controls when placed in a corner. A centralized knight is far more powerful than that.
- Six squares - Six squares is typical for a knight on the edge but not in a corner. The center gives even more reach.
- Eight squares (Correct) - Correct. A knight in the center of the board can reach up to eight squares, which is its maximum. This is exactly why central placement is so valuable.
- Ten squares - A knight can never reach more than eight squares from any position on the board. Eight is the maximum, achieved in the center.