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Open file

Term in chess; a file with no pawns of either color on it

| tright | | | | | |xx| | | |pd|pd| | |xx|pd|pd|pd | | | | |xx| | | | | | |pd|xx| | | | | | | |xx| | | | | |pl| |xx| | |pl |pl|pl| | |xx|pl|pl| | | | | |rl| | | |The e-file is an open file since there are no pawns on it. The rook can move to any square on the file (marked with crosses), uninhibited by pawns.

An open file in chess is a with no pawns of either color on it. In the diagram, the e-file is an open file. An open file can provide a line of attack for a rook or queen. Having rooks or queens on open files or half-open files is considered advantageous, as it allows a player to attack more easily, since a rook or queen can move down the file to penetrate the opponent's position.

Strategic advantage

A common strategic objective for a rook or queen on an open file is to reach its seventh or eighth (the opponent's second or first rank). Controlling the seventh rank is generally worth at least a pawn, as it threatens all the opponent's yet-unmoved pawns to some degree. Controlling the eighth rank is likely to force the opposing king into a more exposed position and puts pressure on any remaining pieces, or if the rank is already clear, allows unobstructed movement behind the enemy forces. Aron Nimzowitsch first recognized the power of a on an open file, writing in his famous book My System that the main objective of a rook or queen on an open file is "the eventual occupation of the 7th or 8th rank".

Many games are decided based on this strategy. In the game Anand–Ivanchuk, Amber 2001, Anand sacrificed a pawn to open the d-file, where his rooks had previously formed a battery. White then used the open file to deploy his rooks to the seventh and eighth ranks and win the game, by exploiting the weakness of Black's a-pawn. White's dominance on the d-file allowed him to maneuver his rooks to aggressive posts deep within Black's defense.

	tleft						nd								kd	pd			pd			pd	rd			pd	pl	rd	pd		pl		pd			pd	nl							pl				pl		pl			pl	rl		kl	pl					rl					Position after 34.e5	tleft					xx	nd							xx	kd	pd			pd			xx	rd			pd	pl	rd	pd	xx	pd		pd			pd	nl	xx						pl		xx		pl		pl			pl	rl		kl	pl					rl					After 34...dxe5, White obtained the open d-file (marked with crosses). Additionally, White's knight now has a very strong outpost.	tleft					rl	nd				rl								pd				rd	pd	kd	pd	pl	rd	pd		pd		pd			pd	nl							pl				pl		pl			pl			kl	pl										Position after 35.Rd7+ Kf6 36.Ra7 Kg6 37.Rdd7 f6 38.Rd8 – White's rooks have occupied the 7th and 8th ranks. Black resigned on move 43.

Notes

References

{{cite book |author-link1=David Vincent Hooper |author-link2=Kenneth Whyld |orig-year=First pub. 1992

References

According to Nimzowitsch, "A file is said to be open for the Rook when no pawn of his [own color] is in it." Elsewhere, "From the definition of an open file, it follows that a file will be opened by the disappearance of one of our own pawns." This defines what others call a half-open file.
''My System'', Aron Nimzowitsch
"Anand vs. Ivanchuk, Monaco 2001".
"Anand vs. Ivanchuk, Monaco 2001".

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