If you control and/or occupy the center of a chess board, then you can move to any place of the board faster than your opponent. The board's center is the high ground of a chess battle.
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[Event "rated untimed match"]
[Site "Odessa"]
[Date "1949.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tschechower"]
[Black "Pawienko"]
[Result "*"]
[BlackElo "0"]
[FEN "5r2/3rkp1R/p1qp1bQ1/3RpPp1/2p1P1K1/1P4P1/P7/2B5 w - - 0 1"]
[SetUp "1"]
[TimeControl "0"]
[WhiteElo "0"]
1. Qxf6+ Ke8 ( { Black dare not try: } 1... Kxf6 2. Bxg5# ) 2. Rxe5+ dxe5 3. Qxc6 { White wins with a large material advantage. } *