10.Control Of Open Files: And The 7th Rank

Having control of an open file is always good. If you can manage and infiltrate the opponent's camp on the 7th rank, that would be even better! In general, this is a topic that is occuring very often in games and it's an eternal battle of who has the file. Depending on the position, there are ways with which you can take over the file - see the examples in this chapter. As for the 7th rank, it's usually said like that because most often the pawns are there (7th when White is infiltrating along a file, 2nd when Black is), and quite often a rook can cause havoc and attack the pawns, potentially winning some or at least tying down the opponent's pieces to the defense of those pawns.