Markos: Middlegame Secrets Vol.2 – The potential of the Rook

For a chess player, chess pieces are like specific tools in a toolbox. We need to know how to use them best, like a craftsman knows their tools. We shouldn't use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail; and we shouldn't use the queen just for defence. This series will show you in great detail the specific qualities of each chess piece, so that you can maximize their effectiveness and thus improve your game. Everyone knows that a rook is dangerous on the 7th rank, and that it belongs behind the pawn. However, there is so much more to learn about this inconspicuous piece!

Let us explore together how the rooks should enter the game in the early middlegame, how they operate on open files and how they sometimes join a deadly attack, being transferred in front of the pawn chain. We will also discuss the cooperation of the rooks and many more topics.

• Video running time: 5 hours (English)
• Extra: Additional database with exercises
• Training with ChessBase apps – Play key positions against Fritz on various levels

Jan Markos is a Slovak chess grandmaster, coach, and author, a former European Youth Champion. His book "Under the Surface" won the ECF Book of the Year Award in 2018. His most recent chess book "The Secret Ingredient", co-authored with GM David Navara, focuses on practical aspects of over-theboard play.