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FC-AD-9 - Pawn Structures

The document discusses common pawn structures in chess, including passed pawns, pawn majorities, pawn chains, isolated pawns, doubled pawns, and backward pawns. It provides diagrams to illustrate examples of each structure and which player may have an advantage based on the pawn positioning. Key advantages and disadvantages of each structure are explained, such as passed pawns providing a threat to promote, pawn majorities often leading to exchanges, and isolated, doubled, and backward pawns creating weaknesses in the pawn structure.

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87 views7 pages

FC-AD-9 - Pawn Structures

The document discusses common pawn structures in chess, including passed pawns, pawn majorities, pawn chains, isolated pawns, doubled pawns, and backward pawns. It provides diagrams to illustrate examples of each structure and which player may have an advantage based on the pawn positioning. Key advantages and disadvantages of each structure are explained, such as passed pawns providing a threat to promote, pawn majorities often leading to exchanges, and isolated, doubled, and backward pawns creating weaknesses in the pawn structure.

Uploaded by

sridivya.mamidi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Advanced Part 1 LEVEL

9. Pawn structures

Once Philidor stated, “pawns are the soul of chess.” Pawn structure means the positioning of
the pawns. Some of the most common pawn structure is as follows

Passed pawn
A passed pawn is a pawn that cannot be stopped by the opponent’s pawn from advancing to
the eighth rank. In this position, there is no opponent’s pawn either or the same file or on the
adjacent file to stop the pawn from getting promoted. A passed pawn is a very big threat to the
opponent because of its power to promote and create an advantage for the player.

Diagram 9.1

In diagram 9.1 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since it has a passed
pawn on h6.

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Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
9. Pawn structures

Pawn majority
A pawn majority is a position when one player has more Pawns than the other on one side of
the chessboard (it can happen on both sides kingside as well as queenside). It is very important
to have a pawn majority in the endgame because it often leads to exchanges of pawns and the
creation of a passed pawn.

Diagram 9.2

In diagram 9.2 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since it has a pawn
majority on the queenside of the board.

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Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
9. Pawn structures

Pawn chain
A pawn chain is a position when two or more pawns are diagonally linked. It has the advantage
that all the pawns in the pawn chain are defended by the other pawns, except the last one in
the chain. Nimzowitsch taught that a pawn chain should be attacked at its weakest point, that
is the base of the pawn chain.

Diagram 9.3

In diagram 9.3 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since it has a pawn
chain formed by b4-c5-d6-e7 pawns.

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Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
9. Pawn structures

Isolated pawn
An isolated pawn is a pawn that cannot be protected by any other friendly pawn. These pawns
are usually a weakness because they are not connected to any other pawn.

They require constant protection from the other pieces, making them unavailable for more
important tasks.

Diagram 9.4

In diagram 9.4 we can observe that the white is clearly winning the game since the black has
formed a weak pawn structure (isolated pawn on c5)

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Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
9. Pawn structures

Doubled pawns
Doubled pawns are the two pawns of the same player, located on the same file.

these pawns are also a weakness because they cannot protect each other and they can be also
blocked by the single pawn of the opponent. Pawns become doubled only when one pawn
captures onto a file on which another friendly pawn resides.

Diagram 9.5

In diagram 9.5 we observe that the black has one extra pawn still the position is drawn because
the black has doubled pawn on e-file.

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Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
9. Pawn structures

Backward pawn
A backward pawn is a pawn that cannot move forward or else it will get captured by the
opponent’s pawn. It also creates a weakness in the position.

Diagram 9.6

In diagram 9.6 we can observe that the black has one extra pawn still the white is winning the
game since black has a weakness (backward pawn) on a7.

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Advanced Part 1 LEVEL
9. Pawn structures (Homework)
1. Who has superior pawn structure? 2. Black to play. What would be the result
of this game?

3. White to play. What will be the result of 4. Who has superior pawn structure?
this game?

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