This mean the white king can simply walk over and capture the black pawns. The black king is kept busy by the white passed pawn. Therefore, more pawn-island usually implies a weaker pawn-structure. Generally, the more pawn-islands you have, the harder it is to defend them all. When a group of pawns gets disconnected from the rest of the pawn-structure they become a pawn-island. To help you understand pawns and pawn-structures even better, here are the typical pawn-formations that you should know:Īt the start of a new game all the pawns are connected, but as the game continue and some exchanges are made, the pawns may become disconnected.
Ideally, we don’t want to allocate valuable pieces to protect pawns – the pawns should be able to protect themselves, and if they can’t – they are weak. This means we must use a piece to defend them. Not ideal.Ī weak pawn cannot be defended by other pawns. In this position black will be forced to defend the c6-pawn with the knight. Naturally it should also be noted that, in most cases, weak squares near or in the center are more useful than weak squares on the sides of the board.Ī weak pawn is usually a pawn that must be defended by a piece. Therefore, weak squares are often an opportunity to further improve the development of your pieces. a Square that cannot be defended by a pawn can more easily be occupied by a piece. Weak squares generally refer to squares on the 5th or 6th rank (inside enemy territory) that cannot be defended by pawns. The pawn-structure determines where the weak squares are The white pawn on b4 also plays a useful role in blocking the advance of the b5-pawn.Ī single pawn might not be very strong, but together they’re a formidable team – they control many squares on the board and can prevent enemy pieces from entering their territory. On the king-side again, the Bd7 is limited mainly by the white pawns. The black pawn on b5 limits the Bd7 on the queen-side. The above example shows how pawns can restrict the movement of a piece – even their own pieces. Nf3-d4 (keeping an eye on e6 and c6) could be a useful route for the knight. In this particular position, then knight is the preferred piece since his movements are not as restricted, ie.
Notice how much the movements of the Bd7 is affected by the pawns. What you would see is the pawn-structure. Imagine you remove all the pieces from the board and leave only the pawns. However, you need to understand how pawns, and particularly pawn-structures, affect the game. True, individually a pawn may be weak, but together they create a force that is roughly equal in strength to the queen! Why should pawns be seen as the soul of chess? And why are the pawns so important? Get your copy of the 7 skills training modelĭownload this helpful summary of the important skills you need to train! Why pawns are important in chessĪny chess player who knows the basics of the game can tell you that pawns are weaker than the pieces. …to play the pawns well they are the soul of chess: it is they which uniquely determine the attack and the defense, and on their good or bad arrangement depends entirely the winning or losing of the game. Back in the 18th century the chessmaster Philidor uttered the words:
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