# I pit chess

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-chess/639366>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [October 30, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-chess/639366 "2012-10-30T21:56:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-chess/639366/101 "2013-07-05T20:33:22Z")

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> [@YogSosoth](#):
>
> To me, that doesn’t make sense. In no monarchy in the history of the world would a pawn be promoted to queen just for crossing a field. It makes much more sense that he is a cross-dresser.

Am I the only one who’s thinking of the sketch in Monty Python’s _And Now For Something Completely Different_ where they show some infantry on a parade ground acting and marching like typical soldiers when the RSM bellows the order to

CAMP…IT…UP!!

after which the whole unit starts to mince back and forth in perfect formation.

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**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-chess/639366/102 "2013-07-05T23:06:16Z")

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> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#):
>
> I’m not a terrific player by any means, but I have enjoyed significantly better games once I got past my paranoia of losing important pieces. The sacrifice of a Rook or even the Queen may be a small price to pay if you can open up a window of attack. And while I wouldn’t sacrifice a Queen or Rook for it, even just a little thing like forcing your opponent to move their King early in the game, so they lose the ability to castle may be worth a lesser piece.

It is good that you are prepared to sacrifice pieces, but I think you need something more concrete than a ‘window of attack’.  
I have sacrificed my Queen, but it was checkmate next move.

I would normally only give up a pawn to keep my opponent’s King in the centre.

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**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-chess/639366/103 "2013-07-06T01:56:00Z")

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> [@glee](#):
>
> It is good that you are prepared to sacrifice pieces, but I think you need something more concrete than a ‘window of attack’.  
> I have sacrificed my Queen, but it was checkmate next move.

I didn’t express that very well. Of course I usually wouldn’t sacrifice an important piece just to be able to futilely attack the other King and say “Check!”, unless my opponent’s only response would allow me to capture a more valuable piece in return. And similarly with lower level pieces.

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