King safety beats everything else on your to-do list.
Step 1 of 3
Rule 3: Castle by move 10
Concept
Rule 3: Castle by move 10
Castle by move ten. Three jobs in one move: king safety, rooks connected, central file activated. Players who castle late lose to attacks they never saw coming.
Remember
• Castle by move ten in almost every game.
• Don't castle into an attack: check whether their pieces are already aimed your way.
• Connects rooks, protects the king, activates a rook: three jobs, one move.
• Late castling is a top-five rating leak below 1400.