Single Comment

When Pawns are Contingency in antique standard 8x8, RNBQKBNR, there are
four openings: N-a3, N-c3, N-f3, N-h3.  Once Knight is out, Knight Cont.
Pawn can move b2-b3 or b2-b4.  In the normal game, from b3 she has
immediate three-step option to b6, from which she can capture to a7 or c7,
the black Pawn row.  So Black needs to hurry up development of
Black-b-Knight and/or b-Pawn. The four-step option from rank-four, and
promotion that way rank-8, is unlikely to avail before late mid-game even as
a threat. Once the Knight Cont. Pawn is moved, Bishop has an easy way
out, and Rook or Queen can slide over to where Knight and Bishop began, so
it is pretty regular development by then.  Pieces generally have formation
ahead of lagging Pawn phalanxes. Contingency Pawn speeds development on any size board, smallish 8x8 here as well.  Mastery of principles of cadence enables Pawns to keep pace behind the Pieces. To protect King, there are normal castling and also free use of d2-d3 and e2-e3 to form centrally a safety palace for the King to situate, ''palacing'' in jargon. Contingency Pawns work far better than diagonal Berolina.  They prohibit generalized three-stepping by typical Pawns for 10-deep boards.  '10x10' then also includes five-stepping option from rank 5 with immediate promotion, to go with two 2, three rank 3, and four rank 4.  Thus ''opening two-step'' from rank 2 amplifies logically to all the conceivable others.  With these indicated full ''rank options,'' the alternative step always matching the present rank of the Pawn as a matter of course, the perfect ratio of power Pawns/Pieces is maintained more or less exactly as to have its delta indeterminant from CV to CV. One of the constants of nature within everlasting diversity in professional CV design.