What Is Luft in Chess?

Why luft matters

A castled king behind three unmoved pawns is safe from most attacks but has no square to go to if a rook or queen checks along the back rank. Many games, especially at club level, end with a back-rank mate that one quiet pawn move would have prevented.

Luft also frees your own pieces. Without it, a rook or queen often has to stay on the back rank as a guard. After luft is made, those pieces can go and do something useful.

Which pawn to move

The h-pawn is the most common choice, because h3 or h6 creates the least weakness. Moving the g-pawn weakens the squares around the king more, and moving the f-pawn opens a diagonal to the king, so those choices need more care.

Think about which color the new square is on. If the opponent has a bishop that controls h2, then h3 creates a square the king cannot use, and g3 may be better.

When to make luft

Make luft at a calm moment, when there is no immediate threat and the move does not lose time in a sharp position. A good habit is to do it once the heavy pieces start to fight for open files, before the back rank becomes a target.

Common questions