Chess Patterns ❯ Control of Space ❯ Queenside Space Advantage

Queenside Space Advantage

You have a Queenside Space Advantage when you have advanced your pawns on the queenside further than your opponent (see diagram above). This creates more room for your pieces to maneuver, limits your opponent's options, and often allows for attacking opportunities on this side of the board.

Ideas for when you have a Queenside Space Advantage: (1) Avoid trading pieces, as removing pieces from the board will give your opponent more maneuvering options, (2) Develop your pieces towards the queenside to support your pawns and open attack lines, (3) Prevent counterplay in the center or on the kingside. Ideas against a Queenside Space Advantage: (1) Trade off some pieces, (2) Target the opponent's most advanced pawns, (3) Create counterplay in the center or on the kingside.

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Master the Queenside Space Advantage

When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on the concept of Queenside Space Advantage. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this type of advantage.

Space in Chess | Beginner Breakdown
A very thorough introduction to the dos and don’ts of Space Advantage by Saint Louis Chess Club. For beginners and intermediate players alike.

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How Petrosian Uses SPACE to Control the Chessboard!
This video by ChessDawg is a fine presentation of a game by legendary Petrosian where the GM masterfully used his queenside Space Advantage to limit his opponent’s options. Enjoy it.

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Chess Middlegame Tutorial - Space Advantage
Take a look at this lesson for intermediate players by Jozarov’s chess channel. The game analyzed is a great example of how to grab and manage space on both sides of the board.

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How to Reassess Your Chess, 4th Edition*
This is one of the most famous works by Jeremy Silman. Easy to read, entertaining, and rich with examples that detail the most important positional principles in chess, including queenside space advantage. You'll love it.

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Beyond Material: Ignore the Face Value of Your Pieces*
A well-written book by Davorin Kuljasevic on evaluating positions in a way that considers the importance of space and time (both in the sense of initiative and tempo). Highly recommended.

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