Everyone says that castling earlier on is imperative. Well, it is. Or is it?
Castling is doubly advantageous in that it gets the king away from central tension and it gives the corner rook a potential open file. Yet, it may not be always necessary and sometimes avoidable. Amateurs and even some mid-level players fall for the 'fishing pole' trap in which the white or black knight is sacrificed on g4 or g5 respectively for the h pawn and an open file for the rook and queen to join. Castling should be done after the central tension has eased(through exchange of pawns) and sufficient defense formulates in front of the king. 3 pawns is not enough. Queen side castling is less protective and it is advised in a closed game. I myself do it for the rooks. It may not always be the case where castling helps. Moving your king sometimes does the trick. After the queen and a few minor pieces have come off the board it ceases to be a necessity. At that time it becomes important to bring your king out to the center. I would recommend king side castling as queen side castling is susceptible to rook and back rank queen attacks.
Castling is doubly advantageous in that it gets the king away from central tension and it gives the corner rook a potential open file. Yet, it may not be always necessary and sometimes avoidable. Amateurs and even some mid-level players fall for the 'fishing pole' trap in which the white or black knight is sacrificed on g4 or g5 respectively for the h pawn and an open file for the rook and queen to join. Castling should be done after the central tension has eased(through exchange of pawns) and sufficient defense formulates in front of the king. 3 pawns is not enough. Queen side castling is less protective and it is advised in a closed game. I myself do it for the rooks. It may not always be the case where castling helps. Moving your king sometimes does the trick. After the queen and a few minor pieces have come off the board it ceases to be a necessity. At that time it becomes important to bring your king out to the center. I would recommend king side castling as queen side castling is susceptible to rook and back rank queen attacks.
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