CHESMAYNE
Center - the
French: centre – centre. Centralisation - la centralisation.
Whatever is of enduring importance. The core or hub of life, on which the center of time
and space
depend for their existence. It
is the nature of the symbolic mind to be able to relate to the idea of the center, whatever it is, and
adapt fluidly when new centers are discovered.
From the beginnings of symbolism the center has been a dominant theme.
Omphalos [at the center of the world].
Nippur, Jerusalem and Delphi were each considered such centers of the world, as is
Cells D04, D05, E04 and E05 - the four cells in the
very centre of the board. Centre: the central
four squares E04, D04, E05, D05 (block-A) or the sixteen cells
including these and those next to them (Block-A and B). The E and D-files are referred to as the
center files. See also Extended Center [link]. The middle of the board. In the opening, both players should strive
to occupy or control the centre. The four cells in the geometrical center of the
board. The opening moves are meant to gain control
of the center. The area bounded by
C03, C06, F03 and F06 is also considered central. The centre of the board is of great strategic significance,
as pieces placed there generally have the greatest scope.
Centre Break: the attack on two
or more PAs abreast on the 4th rank by an opposing PA in order to break
up their formation.
Centre Fork Trick: a series of moves where a KT is sacrificed for a centre PA, knowing that it can be recovered by a PA fork and the
enemy’s central PA structure will be destroyed by
doing so.
Centre PAs: the KIs and QUs pawns.
Centralize: placing of pieces
and PAs so they both control the centre, and influence other areas of the
board. Pieces usually have maximum mobility (and
therefore power) when centrally placed.
Center/Circumference or edge:
the fixed in contrast with the volatile, the still center in contrast with
activity and turbulence. Like the hub
of the wheel, the center is the unmoved principle of all movement. Symbolic centers take many forms: sacred
cities, sacred mountains, Mount Gerizim, the ‘navel of the earth’ for the
Hebrews, the Black Stone in Islam, the cosmic tree, the bridge or ladder, sanctuaries, temples, and cathedrals and even houses. The center of the earth is where the mundane
and the supernatural unite and communication between the human and the divine
takes place. Its importance is
underlined by the imaging of the ‘axis mundi’ in many traditions. Associated with it are certain sounds or
music which symbolize the crossing
from one level of reality to another.
Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929): “Mon center cede, ma
droite recule, situation excellente”.
“My center gives way, my right retreats; situation excellent. I shall attack”, [dispatch during
From Goddess web
site:
Interestingly, Schneider talks about how people are drawn toward the “center”,
that nothing exists without a center around which it revolves “whether the
nucleus of an atom, sun in the solar
system, the heart of our body, hearth of the home, capital of a nation or
black hole at the core of the galaxy. When the
center does not hold, the entire affair collapses”. The heart analogy especially struck me; when
a person loses her sense of direction and courage, she is called
“faint-hearted” - notice, it’s not “faint-brained” or “faint-minded”, but
“faint-hearted” - now I understand why this is so, and why the “center”
squares of the chessboard are so important - control them and you control the
whole board. Otherwise, you’re just dancing around the edges waiting to fall off. When reading about chess it is always
pointed out how important it is to “control the center”, de yada de yada, it
was just words before, but now I SEE! Isn’t that a line from “Amazing Grace”? LOL!