Long side

The long side is the half of the board with more files between the pawn and the edge. If the pawn is on the f-file, the long side is the queenside, from the a-file to the e-file, while the short side is the g- and h-files.

The long side matters because checks from a distance are far stronger than checks from close up. A rook checking from the long side can stay far from the enemy king, so it cannot be attacked, and it can keep checking along a rank until the king runs out of useful moves. For this reason the defending rook is generally placed on the long side, from where it can check at a distance of several files.

The defending king usually goes the other way, to the short side, which leaves the long side clear for the rook. Decide the placement by counting files rather than by memory, since the answer changes with the pawn's file.

A frequent error is to check from the short side, where the rook is soon too close to the enemy king or runs out of squares. Another is to forget that the pawn's file determines which side is long: a pawn on the d-file has three files to the left and four to the right, so the long side is the kingside.

Also worth reading is Checking distance. Checking distance is the space a defending rook keeps from the enemy king, usually a long way off, so it can give a series of checks from the side or behind without being attacked.

It sits close to Vancura position. The Vancura position is a drawing setup against a rook pawn on the sixth rank with its rook in front: the defending rook attacks the pawn from the side, and the defending king waits on the far side of the board.

If "Long side" has cost you half a point, a first lesson is a good place to find the pattern behind it: George Li goes through your games and builds a plan.

Related terms

• Short side

  The short side is the side of a pawn's file that has fewer files between it and the edge of the board, the opposite of the long side where more room is available.

• Checking distance

  Checking distance is the space a defending rook keeps from the enemy king, usually a long way off, so it can give a series of checks from the side or behind without being attacked.

• Rook endgame

  A rook endgame is an ending in which each side has a rook and some pawns and no other pieces, and it is the most common type of endgame, so its main ideas are worth learning early.

• Philidor position

  The Philidor position is the textbook draw for the side with the lone rook: the king blocks the pawn, the rook guards its own third rank, and once the pawn steps onto that rank the rook drops back to check from behind.

• Vancura position

  The Vancura position is a drawing setup against a rook pawn on the sixth rank with its rook in front: the defending rook attacks the pawn from the side, and the defending king waits on the far side of the board.

Guides that go further

• How to choose a chess coach

  What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.

• How much does chess coaching cost?

  Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each.

• The first lesson

  A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.