Open FilesWhere rooks belong, and how to win a file.ChessFiles are the rook's medium; without one, a rook does very little.1Identify the open and half-open filesOpen: no pawns. Half-open: only enemy pawns.2Put a rook on itUsually the one that is doing least.3Double the rooksTwo rooks on a file are far more than twice one.4Contest or seizeIf the opponent contests, trading is often fine — you can occupy itfirst next time.5Invade the seventhA rook on the seventh rank attacks pawns and confines the king.IF NO FILE IS OPENCreate one with a pawn breakAim rooks at a half-open fileTarget the enemy pawn on itTwo rooks on the seventh rank — 'pigs on the seventh' — arefrequently decisive on their own.Open Fileslearnposters.com
Open Files — printable games wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Open Files, step by step

Files are the rook's medium; without one, a rook does very little.

  1. Identify the open and half-open filesOpen: no pawns. Half-open: only enemy pawns.
  2. Put a rook on itUsually the one that is doing least.
  3. Double the rooksTwo rooks on a file are far more than twice one.
  4. Contest or seizeIf the opponent contests, trading is often fine — you can occupy it first next time.
  5. Invade the seventhA rook on the seventh rank attacks pawns and confines the king.

If no file is open

  • Create one with a pawn break
  • Aim rooks at a half-open file
  • Target the enemy pawn on it

Two rooks on the seventh rank — 'pigs on the seventh' — are frequently decisive on their own.

Questions about the Open Files poster

What’s on the Open Files poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Files are the rook's medium; without one, a rook does very little. Identify the open and half-open files — Open: no pawns. Half-open: only enemy pawns.; Put a rook on it — Usually the one that is doing least.; Double the rooks — Two rooks on a file are far more than twice one.; Contest or seize — If the opponent contests, trading is often fine — you can occupy i…; Invade the seventh — A rook on the seventh rank attacks pawns and confines the king.. Two rooks on the seventh rank — 'pigs on the seventh' — are frequently decisive on their own.
Who is the Open Files poster for?
Open Files belongs to the Chess section rather than to a school year, because games is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning middlegame can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Open Files poster?
Rooks want open files. If there are none, create one with a pawn break. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Open Files belongs on the wall where that games work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Open Files?
Attacking the King, Bishop or Knight and Defending sit alongside Open Files in the Chess section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Attacking the KingBishop or KnightDefending
Is the Open Files poster free to download and print?
Yes. Open Files downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Chess section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Open Files poster print at?
Open Files is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Open Files loses nothing.Printing guide

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