Chess/Tempo
< Chess
Tempo
A tempo, or tempi in plural, is used in each game to calculate the developing moves in the opening or a measure of time.
Tempo in the opening
Tempi in the opening are related to the moves in the opening.
Gaining and losing tempi
Gain of tempi
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
Knight attacking a pawn
You gain tempi when you attack a piece with a developing move and the opponent can not defend the piece with a developing move, so he loses tempi.
Loss of tempi
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | ||
| 8 | 8 | ||||||||
| 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| 4 | 4 | ||||||||
| 3 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h |
Knight attacking the queen
You lose tempi when your opponent attacks your piece with a developing movement and you cannot defend that piece with a developing movement, so you have to spend one tempo by retreating your piece or defending it (with a non developing move).