Kevin Pacey wrote on Wed, Nov 13, 2019 09:07 AM UTC:
@ H.G.: I'd observe that if you've got a massive tome like Modern Chess Openings, which covers a lot of major chess opening lines (as well as some minor ones) for all kinds of chess openings, you may see that there are a large number of variations where at least one side castles queenside. Possibly White more often, I'd think, as he often can afford to play more aggressively - the rook comes to a central file in one move, and there's lots of cases in chess of opposite-sides castling, where the side that castles queenside often does so in order to launch a pawn storm against an enemy king castled kingside. However, sometimes one or both sides to castle queenside simply because it's safer to do so than castle kingside or stay in the centre.
@ H.G.: I'd observe that if you've got a massive tome like Modern Chess Openings, which covers a lot of major chess opening lines (as well as some minor ones) for all kinds of chess openings, you may see that there are a large number of variations where at least one side castles queenside. Possibly White more often, I'd think, as he often can afford to play more aggressively - the rook comes to a central file in one move, and there's lots of cases in chess of opposite-sides castling, where the side that castles queenside often does so in order to launch a pawn storm against an enemy king castled kingside. However, sometimes one or both sides to castle queenside simply because it's safer to do so than castle kingside or stay in the centre.