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Ponderchess / Glossary

Outpost in chess

An outpost is a square, usually in the opponent's half of the board, that no enemy pawn can attack. A piece placed there, most often a knight, can only be removed by enemy pieces, so it tends to stay for a long time.

White to move in an Open Sicilian structure. Black's c-pawn has been exchanged and the e-pawn stands on e5, so no black pawn can ever attack d5. Nd5 puts the knight on that outpost, supported by the e4-pawn. Black's usual answer is to exchange it, with ...Nxd5 or ...Bxd5.10.Nd5

What makes a square an outpost

The test is simple: can an enemy pawn ever attack the square? Black pawns attack diagonally downwards, so d5 can only be hit by a black pawn arriving on c6 or e6. If Black's c-pawn has been exchanged and the e-pawn has already gone past to e5, no black pawn can ever cover d5 again, and the square is a permanent outpost for White.

A good outpost is also supported by one of your own pawns, so that an enemy piece cannot simply capture what stands there for free. In the Sicilian structures with Black pawns on d6 and e5, a white pawn on e4 supports a knight on d5. In the same way, e6 becomes an outpost for White once Black's d- and f-pawns have left the seventh rank.

Why knights belong there

Knights have short range, so they need advanced squares to be useful, and they cannot be driven off a true outpost by pawns. A knight on d5 attacks c7, e7, b6, f6, b4, f4, c3 and e3, and it cuts the opponent's position in two.

Bishops and rooks can use outposts too, but they act from a distance anyway. A knight on the fifth or sixth rank that cannot be chased away is often worth more than a bishop that is hemmed in by its own pawns.

Creating and fighting outposts

Outposts are created by pawn moves and exchanges. Each pawn advance leaves squares behind it that the pawn can no longer cover, so provoking a move such as ...e5 or ...f5 can create a hole in the opponent's camp. Exchanging the piece that guards the square, such as the knight on f6 that covers d5, helps you occupy it.

The defender's main remedy is to exchange the piece on the outpost, usually by trading a knight or bishop for it, or to stop it from getting there in the first place. If a pawn break can still attack the square later, it is not a true outpost, and the piece may have to retreat.

Common mistakes

  • Putting a knight on an advanced square that an enemy pawn can attack with one move. That is not an outpost, and the knight will be chased away with gain of time.
  • Occupying an outpost with a piece that does nothing there. The square must attack something or restrict the opponent.
  • Forgetting that the opponent can trade off the piece on the outpost, which may leave you with a worse minor piece.

Questions about outpost

What is the difference between an outpost and a hole?

They are often the same square seen from different sides. A hole is a weakness in your position that your pawns can no longer guard; for the opponent, that square is an outpost.

Are outposts only for knights?

No, any piece can use one, but knights benefit most because of their short range and because they cannot be driven off by pawns there.

Does an outpost have to be in enemy territory?

Usually it is on the fourth, fifth or sixth rank from the player's own side. The further forward a secure square is, the more the piece on it bothers the opponent.