How do I control the center in chess exactly?

Question

Where should the pawns knight and rook be in an ideal control situation

Answer 1

It depends on the position but something like

Pawn on e4, Knight on d5, and Rook on d1 is excellent.

Answer 2

You want them to be wherever they can support the pieces that support the control of the center of the board.  Where these need to be, depends on where your opponent is.  Hypermodern does this from the flanks.  Traditional play up the middle.  Pretty much anything that has more influence over more square, particularly in the center, is what you want to go for.  And that depends on what your opponent does.

Answer 3

*You ask an age old question. Most all your "chess openings" address this problem of controlling the center. Each style conducts its utmost to securing the center and dominating the other player.

**I ask this "How many openings are there ?" & "Why does one want control of the center?" & "If one controls the center, so what then?"

**I say just play and have fun !! If you want to learn more buy a book. I recommend author Jeremy Silman.

Answer 4

Apart from "With pieces or pawns" I don't think there's a short answer to your question! Chess is more complex than that! There's no simple rule.

Play over lots of annotated games, watching how they do it.

Read some classic books on the subject, e.g. chapters from Pachman's "Modern Chess Strategy", available free from ebookee online.

Silman's "Reassess Your Chess Workbook" you would find helpful too, at same site.

Good luck!

Answer 5

ideally, meaning your opponent does nothing to stop you, from Whites perspective Pawns on e4 and d4, Knights on f3 and c3, Bishops on f4 and c4, castled kingside, Queen on d2 or e2, Rooks on e1 and d1.

Getting this is practically impossible and even this "perfect" position is debatable.  Some would have a pawn on c4 or f4 and the Bishop"fianchettoed" on b2 or g2 after moving the pawn to b3 or g3.

I know one guy who likes to logde his knight at c4 via a3 so people underestimate him.  (Knight on rim is grim.:))

Although this is no help, hopefully it helped you.:)

Answer 6

I am beginning to believe there isn't one. I have a program that I have never beaten or even stalemated that uses so many different set ups and counters. Everyone seems to be based solely on my move.