By GM Susan Polgar September 29, 2008 GM Susan Polgar. Photo by Jeffrey Weiss An important opening idea I believe that for most scholastic players (at least until one reaches 1800 rating), very little specific opening knowledge is needed. On the other hand, being familiar with as many tactical and strategical ideas in the opening as possible can be very useful. This understanding can sometimes be useful in various openings as positions can transpose. In this column, we shall look at a famous and beautiful idea that was invented by Mr. Legal a long time ago in the 18th century. Legal’s Mate 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bc4 Bg4 Pinning the knight on f3 is often a good idea in similar positions, but as a rule of thumb, I prefer to wait with it until after White castles. The reason is that until then White by playing h2-h3, Bg4-h5 and g2-g4 does not weaken the king’s position as the king has not chosen yet to which side it will castle. The...
“Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack”(Wilhelm Steinitz)