Controlling a higher number of squares than your opponent, achieved by advanced pawns.
Why it matters
Space is squares. The side whose pawns are further up the board has more room to move pieces between the wings, and the other side keeps bumping into itself.
It is a real edge and a slow one. Space does not win material; it wins the argument about where the pieces go, and the cramped side usually has to trade pieces or break out with a pawn, both of which take time you can use.
See it on a board
White's pawn on e5 takes f6 and d6 from Black's pieces. Black's knight has nowhere natural to go, which is what a space advantage actually looks like.
Checked: the position really has the feature described.
How to play it
- Advance pawns to take squares, but not so far that they cannot be defended.
- Avoid trades. Every pair of pieces that comes off makes the cramped side more comfortable.
- Switch the attack from one wing to the other. Space means you can do it faster than the defender can follow.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Bishop · ages 5–7
When your pawns are further forward, do not trade pieces. The player with less room wants trades, so do not help.
Rook · ages 6–9
Space lets you attack on both wings with the same pieces. Look for the moment to switch, usually when the defender has committed everything to one side.
What goes wrong
- Pushing pawns so far that they need defending and the space turns into a weakness.
- Trading pieces because a trade looked equal, and handing the cramped side exactly what it wanted.
Questions people ask
- How do I play against a space advantage?
- Trade pieces, and find the pawn break that opens a file for the pieces you have left. A cramped position with four pieces each is much easier than the same position with eight.